


Destiny

by Missevilhat13



Category: Critical Role (Web Series), The Mighty Nein - Fandom, Vox Machina - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Dreams, Language of Flowers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tattoos, Trans Female Character, Transgender, god AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2020-07-25 02:09:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missevilhat13/pseuds/Missevilhat13
Summary: We all have a destiny, whether we like it or not. It just so happens that occasionally, it's the God's that need your help.Literally.AU where The Mighty Nein and Vox Machina are Gods. Heavily inspired by nonbinarywithaknife on tumblr (formerly known as there's-no-comma). I sincerely encourage you to check out their blog and following them. I have yet to actually see a God's AU tag here, but I could be wrong.





	1. Prologue

Thirty four hours.

Thirty four excruciating hours, and neither the mother nor child had survived. The child was born with its cord wrapped around its neck, his face blue with the rest of him turning gray, while the mother fell asleep with her child in her arms and bled out.

“Not every delivery ends well, Harper. You did everything you could, but the cord was too tight, and she was young.” His mentor told him. Harper closed his eyes as he washed his hands in the basin.

“I thought…Why do the God’s do this? Children don’t deserve to die.” He sniffed. His mentor gave him a weary but understanding smile.

“The God’s have reasons for everything they do, whether we like it or not. The mother and child will live together on the other side, while their bodies return to nature. Go on back to the temple, I will finish up here.”

He sighed and opened the temple door, lighting the lamps near the vestibule before moving on towards the shrine itself. The setting sun filtered in through the stained glass, casting a beautiful depiction of wildflowers across the stone floor and he lit the lamps beside the Goddesses’ statue before lighting some incense to pray for the peace of the mother and child. 

He felt his feet crunch over something, and he looked down, squinting and then jumped back, dropping the match on the rubble, causing it to flicker out.

He looked up with horror, gulping at the defaced statue. What was normally a short, plump woman with long braids and a simple dress adorned in flowers, her eyes closed with a matching kind smile was now faceless. Her face was complete rubble on the ground, and he crashed to the ground to his knees, ignoring the pain of the sharp rock as it dug into him.

“Lady Veth, who has done this to you?” he whispered in horror, tugging at his hair. He frantically looked around the temple, plain as it was, for any sign of the vandalizer, and found no one. He rushed outdoors and bumped into his mentor, falling back onto the hard ground with a heavy thud. The halfling rubbed his head and his mentor looked down with surprise.

“Harper, what has you so riled up?”

Harper shakily pointed towards the temple, tears filling his eyes.

“Someone….S-someone….Come look!” He said, tugging on his hand and pulled him through, gesturing wildly towards the defaced statue.

“My Gods….” He muttered, carefully stepping over the rubble and gently running his fingers down the stone face.

“…I…I can’t feel even a hum of power…this is…”

“Master, what does that mean?” asked Harper as his Mentor stepped back, his face going pale.

“…It means…I think something awful has happened…” 


	2. So you Accidentally Became a Cleric

A flurry of black feathers scattered across The Golden Hearth’s entryway and just as he raised his hand to knock, he pressed his ear to the door instead. He could hear all manner of rattling and clinking from behind the door.

“I don’t just _misplace_ my mask Yeza!” shouted out a croaky female voice and he gulped before letting himself in, ducking beneath the low lentil.

Before him was a green goblin, rifling through treasure, tossing it aside and scattering it across the floor. Her bright yellow eyes almost resembled the coins in the hoard that spilled out from another room, barely contained by an imaginary barrier that lead to a normal looking home. Behind her was a short man, twiddling his thumbs and standing on the balls of his feet, attempting to see over the anxious goblin’s shoulder.

He cleared his throat and Yeza and goblin looked up.

“Oh! Vax! What brings you-“ began the man but before he could finish Vax was tackled to the ground by a goblin.

“Give it back! I know you have it!” she shouted. He immediately pushed her off and stood up, brushing his long black hair behind him.

“Fuck Nott! Why would I have your mask?!” He asked.

“Who else would take it? You prank everyone!” She retorted.

“Not if it makes my job harder!” ” Vax breathed out, holding out his hand where six small white lights twinkled. Nott’s eyes got bigger and she held out her hands, where Vax gently deposited them, watching her lip tremble.

“I wondered why I collected six _infant_ souls in one day…” He said, accepting the souls back. “Guess I know why.” He said. 

“Her mask is gone. We can’t find it.” Yeza whispered, placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder. Vax chewed on his lip.

“Well…let’s address that after I deliver these babies to the Garden, eh?” he offered and Nott nodded, wiping the tears that had gathered in her eyes, but not fallen.

It was an unnervingly relaxing place, filled with thriving plants as well as moldering leaves that gave way beneath their feat. Small brush grew magically to form a fence around the small, sturdy stone church. Vax could see in the distance an equally magnificent home, and he smiled, wishing to be there soon.

Unlike Vax, where it had taken him being attacked by a goblin to figure out what was wrong, it had taken the mild mannered Caduceus a short glance at the two.

“…Let’s attend to the children first…” He simply said and from the soil, six daisies sprouted forth among the numerous daffodils, snowdrops, roses and various trees in the infinite garden. He gave a kind smile, quickly obscured by a curtain of pink hair, before standing up to his full height.

“We should tell the others.” He said and Nott nodded, tugging on her green hair.

“Well no wonder they snagged my sword! I thought Fjord ate it!” said Molly, crossing his arms and leaning back in his throne and Fjord groaned, running his hand through his hair.

“My question is how did they manage to steal her mask? That should be impossible, right?” asked Fjord.

“Apparently not.” Murmured Caleb, rubbing his chin and continuing to thumb through a book. His normally ginger hair was smoldering now, as his fingertips blackened.

“We need to get my mask back! Even the thieves are helpless!” shouted Nott and Vax nodded.

“I can only do so much.” He said and Keyleth patted his hand comfortingly. He gave her a peck on her cheek, taking in the smell of honeysuckle and looked at the large group of assembled Gods, each with varying expressions, ranging from confusion to anger.

“…Should we ask the Allmaker?” asked Pike, looking around and Scanlan shook his head, standing up in his throne.

“No, we can figure this out. This just takes a creative solution! Right Grog?” he asked and the goliath beside him smashed his fist on the arm of his throne, cracking it before it magically mended.

“Fuck Yeah!”

“Oh, well I’ve already sent a dream out so…” said Molly and Jester perked up, glitter trailing behind her while Beau tapped her fingers on the arm of her throne.

“Already? We don’t even know where to start.”

“Yes, well without my sword, I can’t leave my main temple. If anyone wants a Channel Divinity, they’re shit outta luck.” He said, glaring at Beau.

“I didn’t even think about that. To who?” Said Caleb, closing his.

“Somebody interesting.”

“I take it not to one of your champions?” piped up Percy, pushing his glasses up. Beside him Vax watched Vex place her chin in her palm.

The heady incense made her wrinkle her tan and freckled nose as she walked through the temple. It was surprisingly quiet today, as last night had been a Full moon, The only time there was a formal gathering at His Temples. They approached the far wall, gazing up at the colorful mosaic of a peacock behind the marble statue of Mollymauk, illuminated by the stained glass windows in the shape of the moon phases. The polished stones of the mosaic glittered in the rising sunlight and it appeared as though he had many offerings made last night indeed.

His stone horns were draped in leis of fresh flowers that had yet to wilt, while coins and bottles of alcohol lay at his feet. His flared out coat had fine glitter dusted over it, or more accurately, thrown against it, while the remaining incense burned lazily at his sides.

“Did you come to pray?” came a voice suddenly and she squeaked and turned and looked up to see a colorful looking half elven priestess. Like all devotees to Mollymauk, She wore maroon robes, with purple and gold trim along the low collars and hems. Her tattooed hands were folded neatly in front of her, equally as colorful. The priestess gave a smile, the gold and turquoise hairpins glittering in the morning light and they nodded.

“Urm, yes. I…I’ve been having dreams that I don’t quite know how to interpret.”

“I see. Yes, last night was quite loud. To ask your type of questions, I suspect you would like a quieter atmosphere.” She said and She nodded. She gestured for them to follow and led them through a hallway that turned into another room with another depiction of Mollymauk, but smaller. They sat down on the bench as the Priestess walked over to a small box and returned with a deck of cards, gilded with gold, worn, but clearly well taken care of.

“You may call me Evelbrae.” She said as she shuffled the deck and then looked expectantly at them.

“Oh, My name is Laigan.” She replied, twiddling her thumbs. Evelbrae nodded and let her continue. “I…my dreams hard to describe…They’re remarkably vivid, but vague. I’m in a really fancy house. It smells like incense, like here, and I there’s a um…hooded figure. Their shape keeps changing, but their eyes look like embers. Then they disappear, and so does the house, and I remember seeding this temple. So, I guess I’m asking if they’re just dreams or if there is a meaning to all of it. They worry me because they happen almost every night.” They finished and the Priestess nodded and fanned out the cards.

“Take a card and tell me what it says.” She instructed, closing her eyes. Laigan hovered her hands over the fanned cards and then picked one, looking over the card.

“…It’s blank…” They said and Evelbrae opened her eyes in shock and she showed the card. She pursed her lips and shuffled her cards again, fanning them out once more. Laigan picked another.

“…This one Is blank too…” They said and Evelbrae sat up straight and looked over to the statue before shuffling and fanning out the cards.

“Once more please…” She said carefully, her eyes still focused on the depiction of Mollymauk. Their hands trembled. She wasn’t sure what blank cards meant, and the way the Priestess was acting frightened her.

Laigan took a deep breath and plucked a final card.

“It’s blank…” She said and the Priestess held her hand out and she returned the card. Evelbrae stood up and walked over to a small cherry wood chest and plucked something from it before walking over to a basin and drawing some water.

“Here Child. Eat this Skein, then drink this water to chase it down. I will watch over you.” She said and placed what appeared to be crushed up fungus in their palm.

“What will happen?” She asked and Evelbrae smiled.

“He will talk to you…there may be side effects of being in his presence, but do not worry, it will pass.” She said and took a seat beside her.

Laigan gulped and gingerly placed the Skein in her mouth, grimacing at the bitter flavor and unsavory texture, like she had shoved dirt in her mouth. They swallowed the substance and then chased it down with water and Evelbrae took the water glass and set it aside.

She felt herself get a little nauseous after five minutes, then slightly sleepy. The corners of her vision began to cloud, and slowly, the colorful temple room became gray.

Eerily thin threads crossed into their field of vision, white dust or maybe even snow began to fall.

A light jingling sound, and a bright flash and clash of colors entered their frame of vision and they recoiled back as a man appeared, reclining in the air.

He was purple, with a maroon coat that was covered in a multitude of symbols of varying colors. His horns were decorated in bright metals and jewels and his red eyes twinkled as he looked at her. Tattoos curled up his face and covered his hands and his tail swayed lazily behind him. His tattoos even seemed to move.

“Well hello there. Looks like someone was drawing a blank?” he said with a wink and flashed a blank card which slowly revealed a picture of an anvil, twirling it around in his fingers.

“Oh my Gods…Lord Mollymauk-” She said and he smirked.

“Call me Molly, Dear. Now, You had a question, about some dreams?” he asked, and Laigan nodded.

“Well, I don’t work with dreams-“ He laughed but pondered the card. “But this Anvil, it means a Destiny forged…My calling card.” He said with a laugh and She furrowed her brows. He seemed to notice because his smile faded somewhat.

“You don’t like having a Destiny?” He asked, his tail flicking and Laigan felt herself choke up.

“…I don’t really want to be a hero…” She murmured and Molly raised an eyebrow.

“Who said this was going to make you a hero? Everyone has a Destiny, and we all have the chance to change it. That’s what I’m about to offer you.” He said and as Laigan looked up at him, he gently touched a thread and then pointed at her.

“Someone has taken something from me. My sword, Summer’s Dance, was stolen. With it gone I am bound solely to this temple. If you bring it back to me, then your Destiny is fulfilled.” He said, and now that They looked at him, noticed he only had the one Scimitar, Moon Glass. Laigan cocked her head.

“Why can’t you get the sword yourself?” She asked.

“I told you, I’m bound to this temple without it. Whoever took this wanted to keep me here.” He said, and then moved over to another string.

“Now, if you don’t want to follow your Destiny, I can tell you how to change it. It always comes at a price though.” He warned. Laigan looked him up and down, as he held two different strings.

“What price?” She asked and Molly quirked up an eyebrow and a card appeared, and he raised an eyebrow.

“I keep sending you those dreams, like scam letters in your mailbox until you help me.” He said and Laigan huffed.

He was being ridiculous.

“All I have to do is get back your sword? Why not get a real adventurer?”

“That would be boring. I am not boring.” He said, then continued. “I imagine there will be some challenges, definitely some roadblocks, but I have a feeling luck will be on your side.” He said and smiled a shit eating grin.

If She was being honest with herself, she should really be considered lucky she was getting to talk to a God. Then again, that was the very thought that terrified her. Everyone knew stories about heroes and villains following their Destinies or trying to surpass them.

Sometimes they ended happily and sometimes they ended tragically.

Laigan was afraid it was the latter.

Mollymauk stared at her, waiting as he gently held two different ethereal threads in his slender fingers before Laigan nodded, tightly clenching her patchy dress.

“Do we have a deal?” he asked, and he held out his hand. She tightened her grip on her dress but gingerly held out her hand and he took it, his hand feeling warm, but incorporeal at the same time.

“Wonderful. Let’s give you a starting point, shall we? I love these cards!” he said, and another card appeared in his hand and he smiled.

“Ah, Justice…have you ever been to Zadash?” He asked and She shook her head.

“Well, tell Her Royal Unpleasantness I said ‘Hello’.” He said and with a brief flash of light, he disappeared. She felt something settle in their chest and glanced down at their hand, seeing the image of a wheel with strange symbols inside it and flanked by two strange creatures tattooed on their palm.

“Welcome back.” Said Evelbrae soothingly and She jumped, looking over at her. She was smiling and held out her hand. Laigan placed their own in hers and she looked at the tattoo.

“He has marked you, interesting.”

“He told me to go to Zadash…to see Her Royal Unpleasantness?” They asked, gulping. After Evelbrae gave a curious look, she broke out into laughter.

“Oh! He must mean Beauregard!” She giggled and Laigan raised her eyebrows in surprise.

They recalled hearing Beauregard and Mollymauk having some sort of unnamed rivalry.

“Why the heck does he want me to go there?”

“I imagine to see Beauregard.” She said, unhelpfully. “Well, In any case, you need to go to Zadash? That’s quite a way here from Hupperdook.” She said and She nodded, sighing. Evelbrae stood up then and pulled Laigan up with her.

“It is our duty to help those who need it. If Mollymauk requires your aid, then we should help too. Follow me.” She said and led the gnome by her hand into another room. Laigan furrowed her brows.

“You look rather hardy; I imagine you can wear this…” She said as she began pulling armor out of a chest.

“…wait, armor? Why do I need armor…from the temple’s armory?”

“Because you might need it.” responded Evelbrae, raising an eyebrow and handing the gnome a mace that glinted in the torchlight.

Fortunately for Laigan, Evelbrae provided an entirely new outfit to accommodate her apparently new status. She felt the tattoo on her hand practically humming, as if with laughter as Evelbrae fit her with the studded leather armor and helped her adjust the mace for easier carry.

“Now, It’ll take some practice, but you can practice on the road, I’m sure, but he should have given you some spells…just think about what you want to do, and it might happen!” she said happily and then ushered Laigan out the temple, giving a final wave before the temple doors closed.

Laigan blinked her eyes rapidly, her head still reeling.

“What the hell just happened?”


	3. A New Companion

Caleb sat in his library, books on every subject lining the shelves, several stacked beside him, and scoured them. Beau sat across from him, re reading and taking notes from any books he set down. There was a chance she could find something he overlooked, which had happened on more than one occasion. She had an odd talent for finding information that simply slipped through the cracks of his own head.

“Fuck, man! How are we supposed to find her Mask?!” she said, closing a book with a hard slam, and Caleb winced as she chucked it across the room in frustration. It floated back to it’s position on the shelf and Beau crossed her arms and grumbled. Caleb sighed, closing his.

“I don’t know Beauregard. I’m just as frustrated as you.” He said, and Beau snorted.

“Yeah, you’re burning the damn table.” She said and Caleb lifted his hands, watching the scorch marks disappear.

“If I could get my hands on some mortals, I would be more than happy to find the answers, but The Gate prevents us from physically going there.” She lamented, then looked over towards Caleb.

“Who do you think Molly contacted? He is deliberately refusing to tell me. Asshole.” She said, raising an eyebrow. Caleb chuckled. Molly seemed to be enjoying that too. Caleb could see just a hint of his worry, not only for his sword, but for Nott, who had locked herself in The Golden Hearth. Vax had barely any time to properly relax, receiving way too many souls that his ravens delivered, in addition to helping the occasional mischief thieves tended to cause. Throughout all this, Caduceus seemed only mildly perturbed, but everyone knew he was equally as worried as he tended the Garden.

“If I knew, I would send Frumpkin to help.” He said and returned to his book as Beau huffed and pulled one from his stack.

Laigan concentrated hard on the tree and felt a hum from the tattoo as a small, purple flame shot from her hands and briefly scorched the tree. Nothing caught fire, and she didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

“Ok, so that’s ‘Sacred Flame’…I think. And I can already do the ‘Thaumaturgy’ one.” She thought as she pointed to the flames of the fire, causing them flare up, then dim. She sighed and looked up at the moons, slightly obscured by the overcast sky.

“How the Hell am I supposed to get the stupid sword? Who the Hell steals from a God? Are you sure you didn’t just lose it?” she asked, looking at the tattoo, but it didn’t give any indication of a reply. She huffed and lay down, adjusting her armor and keeping her weapon within reaching distance, before settling into her bedroll and closing her eyes.

She woke up to her stomach growling and frowned, remembering where she was. The road rations she had bought looked only slightly better than what she was used to eating, but perhaps that was because she would be the one cooking them.

The scenery didn’t change much as she traveled south, with the mountains to the west and the sky gradually changing to a pleasant blue. She resisted the urge to stop to rest her tiny feet, because it would only take longer. Evelbrae hadn’t been able to provide a horse, or even enough gold for one, and all the shared transports, to even a remotely close town, had left two days ago.

So she had to walk, for easily a week or more, to Zedash. Evelbrae had mentioned a crossroads where traders set up often, but Laigan wasn’t too hopeful about it. To pass the time, she practiced her cantrips, causing nearby bushes to whisper, or a rock to rumble, and sending the occasional sacred flame to kill a rabbit for dinner.

As the sun began to set, She began to look for a safe spot to camp, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw a tent a few yards away.

The tent looked like it was made of plain blue canvas, and in front of it, was a bright red Tiefling, and a horse a few feet away. She was wearing blue trousers and a matching long sleeved tunic, fancily embroidered with red scrolling that perfectly matched her skin. Her modestly, but none the less decorated horns glimmered in the fire light and caused tiny lights on the ground. Her black cloak was just as embroidered, and on her lap was a… purple cat. Beside her rested a staff.

She quickly closed her book and held it to her chest, narrowing her yellow eyes at the gnome that approached, wearing a small smile. The gnome waved as she approached, standing a few feet away from her camp.

She looked her up and down, noting the studded leather armor, the mace hanging at her side, with what appeared to be a shield on her back. Her eyes finally settled on the symbol on the armor.

A peacock.

So, she followed Mollymauk, then.

“Who are you? Did my parents send you?” she asked, and the gnome furrowed her eyebrows.

“No? I’m just traveling from Hupperdook to Zedash and saw your camp. Thought I would ask if I could join you…I can keep going if you like?” She said, pointing back towards the road. She looked down at her cat and the cat simply gave a quiet meow.

“That’s fine. I’m not sharing my food, though.” She said, nodding at the potato she had sitting in the coals and the pot of meager stew and the other lady smiled.

“That’s fine! I got a rabbit this afternoon! What’s your name? Mine is Laigan!” She said, immediately sitting down across the fire, then grumbling as she adjusted the mace, then pulling it off of her side and setting it down beside her.

“Briphilia. But you can call me Briphi.” She said, her tail flicking. Laigan gave a wide smile and pointed at the cat.

“What’s your cat’s name? I’ve never seen a purple one before.”

“Oh…that’s Mir. She’s my familiar.” She replied curtly, still slightly suspicious of Laigan.

“Wow! So you can do magic?”

“Yes? I’m a wizard…in training. Self-taught…much to my family’s chagrin.” She muttered, and Laigan nodded, pulling out the already skinned and gutted rabbit, dusting some salt on it and jamming it onto a poker.

“Only salt?” She asked, sticking out her tongue.

“That’s what I’ve got.” She said, smiling to herself.

Ok, her cheeriness was getting weirder.

“…So, how long have you been following Mollymauk…normally the other clerics are riddled with tattoos.” She said, leaning back. Laigan laughed and blushed.

“umm, two days ago…it’s a funny story actually.” She said, holding up her hand and revealing a tattoo of a wheel. It was the only visible one and didn’t appear to be part of a sleeve either.

“I like stories.”

“Well…Basically I’m on a…pilgrimage? To Zedash…I’m not too happy about it, but hey, it’s better than the alternative.” She said, putting her cheek in her palm and turned the rabbit. Briphi raised an eyebrow.

“What’s the alternative?” she asked, scooting slightly away, and preparing a spell in her hand. She wasn’t about to be attacked by some criminal.

“Having the same dream over and over and over again, because _somebody_ thinks it’s funny.” She said through her teeth, staring at the tattoo. She then sighed and looked back at Briphi.

“What about you? You said something about your parents?” She asked and Briphi chewed her lip, silently cursing herself. She shouldn’t have mentioned that to a stranger.

“…I ran away…I’m also heading to Zedash. There’s a library there, and I’m hoping to find some books. Obviously.” She said. Laigan perked up.

“Oh! That’s where the temple to Beauregard and Caleb is, right?” she asked.

“One of them, yes.”

“Perfect!” She said and leaned forward.

“Do you mind if we travel together? It’s much safer to travel in a group. We can split once we get there if you want, but I personally would love the company.” She said and Briphi let the spell fizzle in her hand. It was becoming clearer that Laigan was just lonely, and probably scared of traveling alone. Truth be told, so was she, with only Mir to keep her company.

“…Sure, I think that sounds fine…” She said carefully, and Laigan lit up, then pulled her meal from the fire and inspected it.

“Did you want a leg? I bet it would taste good in your stew? Besides, you look kind of skinny.” She said, and Briphi frowned at the comment. Laigan’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern, so Briphi shook it off.

“I’m fine, thank you though.” She said and Laigan shrugged and tore into her food, sighing in delight.

After their respective meals, Laigan offered up first watch, since she was the one who was ‘intruding’.

“Mir…keep an eye on her, alright?” whispered Briphi and the cat meowed in response, nudging her head into Briphi’s hand. She smiled and closed the flap of her tent, seeing Laigan doing a quick sweep of the perimeter before allowing herself to close her eyes.

Briphi woke up to Laigan gently shaking her awake, informing her it was her turn. She rubbed her eyes and felt a cup of something hot pushed into her hands.

“Wha-?”

“I brought some coffee with me when I left Hupperdook.” She said and Briphi took in the smell.

She could tell it wasn’t the best cup of coffee, but she accepted it none the less and waited for Laigan to crawl into her bed roll before she took a sip. It was incredibly bitter, and She dug around in her pack for a sugar cube before trying another sip.

“…better…”She said, sending Mir to check the perimeter. She opened up her spell book and began reviewing the newest ones.

Mir crawled into her lap and pawed at her arm.

_Four humans, Lady Briphi. Two miles away. Very fast._

“Of course,…Laigan must not have seen them…ugh.” She said, chugging her coffee, ignoring the burn and reaching over towards the gnome.

“Mmmm, wha? ‘most sleep…”She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

“Mir said there are four people approaching…I don’t like it.” She hissed, her tail flicking.

Laigan reached for her mace, wondering how she missed them. Mir jumped onto Briphi’s shoulder with impossible grace as the Tiefling hovered her hand over her component pouch. The sound of hoof beats became louder and louder and it became clearer in her mind that they were indeed bandits.

They all wore an odd assortment of armor, if any at all, and were heavily scarred, one grinning and missing a few teeth. Laigan gulped.

“ ‘ello ladies…it’s awfully dark to be out here all alone…” he said, dropping off his horse. Briphi stood up straight, lifting her chin up high and scoffed.

“Idiots, we aren’t alone, and clearly, we have the advantage.” She sneered and Laigan gasped as with a quick wave of her hands, put the fire out, engulfing them in near darkness. Laigan’s eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, and saw Briphi take a few steps, keeping her hand above her component pouch.

Despite the surprise thaumaturgy cloaking them in darkness, bandit in the eyepatch, a rather muscular one too, lunged forward and swung at Laigan with a scimitar, and as she side stepped it, felt the sharp blade cut into her arm. She hissed out in pain as she felt her blood beginning to soak her undershirt and Eyepatch snarled at her. She bit her lip, the nervousness roiling in her gut as one of the bandits, a human woman with a crooked nose approached with a short sword and swung at her. She managed to duck and roll this time, and passing under the large woman, clutched her leg and pressed hard, hoping it would do something. She watched brackish brown and green energy pulse from her hand and into the woman’s leg. She screamed, collapsing to the ground and clutching her calf, and Laigan watched in morbid fascination as her liquid began pouring from the bandit’s boots.

Not liquid.

Flesh.

By the time her boot had effectively collapsed, the woman had gone completely quiet, her face frozen in pain. She tore her gaze away, and turned it to the bandits approaching Briphi, the toothless one and a scrawny bald man and dug into her pouch, pulling out a piece of parchment and pointing to Briphi.

“Protect her!” She shouted and watched Briphi’s eyes widen as a glimmer waved over her for a brief moment.

Briphi felt a small bit of warmth pass over her as Laigan shouted, and held out her hand at the bald bandit, who was quickly rushing her. She withdrew a sliver of glass from her pouch and drew a cube in the air, narrowing her eyes.

“Cloud of Daggers!” She hissed in infernal, and Toothless gasped in pain as he ran headfirst into the magical manifestation. He swatted away, attempting to move them, but they simply hovered, their ethereal steel glinting in the moonlight. He gritted his teeth and then swung his short sword, and Briphi felt a bit of resistance as it pushed through whatever shimmering barrier that coated her robes, and she winced as the blade grazed her shoulder, digging ever so slightly into her flesh, and cutting her robes.

“You Bastard! Those cost a fortune!” She shouted in Infernal, glaring at Toothless and watching red flames lick up his body, starting at his feet and quickly devouring his form. He screamed out in pain, falling to his knees, and Baldy watched his companion fall with a look of horror.

Eyepatch glared down at Laigan as she shook off the remains of his partner and slashed as her, and she yelped out as it slashed across her chest. She held her armor, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, and felt the spell she cast on Briphi drop. She grimaced and closed eyes tightly, feeling a rush of energy pour into her.

She felt her chest wound close up and sighed in relief, but her tattoo on her hand had gone, strangely, numb.

She took a step back and the bandit took another swipe, swinging wide as she ran over towards Briphi. Briphi was staring down the Bald bandit, who was slowly backing away.

“Now now, let’s just be reasonable…I’d say you won…” He said shakily and Briphi scoffed.

“You attacked us, and I see no reason for that to go unpunished.” She growled out. Laigan grabbed onto her robes, shaking Briphi.

“Briphi, C’mon let them go!” She said, looking over at Eyepatch, who was glaring right back at them. Briphi looked down at Laigan and back at the bandit. Baldy had backed away enough and then sprinted towards his horse, quickly mounting it and galloping away.

“And you?” She sneered, her voice booming over their camp.

“Heh, I’ve never lost a fight, and I don’t tolerate cowards. Good riddance.” He said, waving off his former ally. Laigan bit her lip and looked up at Briphi, who had her fists clenched tightly.

“I really don’t want to fight anymore.” Laigan said and he laughed, lunging towards her. Laigan flinched and sent out a sacred flame, hitting the ground behind him. Briphi clicked her tongue and with a quick hand motion, three missiles of red energy struck him in both of his shoulders and then his chest. He slashed at the Tiefling and Laigan reacted immediately, her heart racing as she clutched her mace and struck him in the back. She thought she could hear the crack of his spine as he crumpled to the ground, falling face first into the fire pit.

Laigan clutched the mace to her chest, feeling tears drip down her face. Briphi looked down and frowned, kneeling down and taking Laigan’s face in her hands.

“Hey…there’s no need to cry…”

“…I killed them though…” She said, her heart twisting in her chest. Briphi’s eyebrows furrowed and she wiped away a tear, only causing more to fall.

“They were bad guys Laigan. Who knows what they would have done? They could have just taken our stuff, yes, but what if they did something worse? We still could have ended up dead. C’mon. Let’s pick them up, okay?” she said and Laigan sniffed.

How was she okay with this? Briphi seemed to understand the concern and sighed.

“…I…I don’t like that we had to kill them…but it was in self-defense, right? Besides! That little shield that you cast over me? I’m honestly amazed someone would cast a spell to protect me.” She said, smiling weakly. Laigan sniffed.

“Come on, let’s bury them, and try and get back to sleep. Spell casting is tiring, isn’t it?” She laughed and Laigan nodded, the exhaustion finally hitting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I roll for the fights, like I've done in a previous fiction, If the Clock Never Broke, because that makes it so much more interesting!


	4. The Taste of Salt and Blood

Jester swept her brush across the heavens in a heavy green line, quickly adding another and grinning as they began to move slowly, and she quickly blew away the clouds so everyone could see the dancing lights. She turned around and smiled wide as Vex walked in, taking a peek at her work.

“Impressive as always. I see you’re going with green tonight?” She said and Jester nodded, setting her brush down. Vex sighed and crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on her arms. Jester cocked her head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, flicking her tail.

“…Just concerned about everything darling, like everyone else. Caleb has holed up in his library and Percy is tinkering, Tary even popped in to help. We need to find Nott’s Mask.” She said.

“And Molly’s sword!”

“Of course. I just don’t understand how the thief got past Veth?”

“Yeah, they would have had to take it, like, right off her face! Well, until we figure it out, we should totally make a Shooting Star!” She said and Vex smiled as Jester reached for her brush. She paused and gasped.

“No…” whispered Vex and Jester tugged at her hair, looking frantically around. Stardust trailed behind her as she ran around Heaven’s Gallery, turning over couch cushions and tossing chairs and Vex ran around as well. She passed by the constellation portraits Jester had made of them all, the stars twinkling at the forefront of their images.

“H-How?…I should have…Trinket!” Vex stammered, tossing a cushion aside before yelling for her companion. Jester collapsed on the floor, letting Vex’s footsteps fall into the background.

Percival crossed his arms and sighed heavily, staring hard at the wavering tapestry surrounded by a lattice of Divine Flame that was The Gate. He knew it was possible for mortals to pass through it, it had happened before, sometimes by accident, but incredibly rare. Then there were the adventurers, still a rare occurrence, and they never bothered any of the God’s.

None of them dared steal from them either.

He reached out and touched it, ensuring that it was at least still solid on their side of the astral sea. Part of him was disappointed though. He sorely wished to walk the land of Exandria if it meant he could track down the thief.

“Percy! Percy!” cried out a woman’s voice and he turned around, able to catch his wife before she could barrel him completely over. Trinket skidded to a halt behind her and gave an angry growl and Percy furrowed his eyebrows.

“Vex Dear, what’s wrong?” he asked, laughing nervously. The feathers in her hair twitched, then smoothed themselves out.

“Jester’s Paintbrush…it’s gone! And it was stolen right under our noses! She set it down and went to pick it back up and it was gone!” She said, clenching his coat in a vice grip. Percy inhaled deeply and uncurled Vex’s fingers from his coat.

“We have to call together another meeting. This is…Whoever is doing this cannot get away with it.” He said as calmly as possible and watched as Vex brushed a little gunpowder from his hands.

He felt the ghostly fingertips on his neck and the scraping of coral against his cheek. He winced, and heard her laughter, cruel in her amusement as the bubbles rushed past his ears.

“Return…Release…”She whispered in a demanding tone and he felt his body seize up. He grit his teeth and felt her hair tickle his nose as she swam in front of him, her golden eyes boring into his soul.

“Reward…”She whispered, cold, clammy fingers taking his chin. The scar on her palm flared up, a faint gold and he felt himself drawn to it. When he didn’t respond, she glared and he felt a sharp pain his torso, and then a hand around his throat.

He woke up in a sweat and sat up instantly and scrubbed at his eyes, gasping in relief as he felt the familiar weight of The Squall Render, and then dismissed the sword, resting his forehead on his knee. The taste of salt and copper didn't escape him and he licked his teeth and then spit off to the side.

“Fucking Bitch…I’ll never return that damn eye.” He said and risked a glance at the orb embedded in his palm that he had found roughly a year ago. It was too dangerous to do, in his humble opinion, and he had fought too hard to get away from the supposed gate. He sighed heavily again and looked out the window of the Inn, watching the sun rise over the horizon and glinting off the sea.

He had been avoiding doing this for a while, thinking that somehow he could fix the problem by himself.

The Lighthouse attached to the temple still burned brightly at this hour, and as he approached the doors, the town bell signaling sunrise rang. As the doors creaked open, he peeked inside, seeing only three filthy children with a blanket over them and surrounding a burnt out oil lamp, snoring on the hard floor. They must have come in during the night, otherwise the Priests would have provided a bed.

He quietly walked up to the main shrine and stared up at the tall stone statue of a man, wielding a sword that doubled as a fountain, the sound of water immediately calming to him. He found some incense and lit it in the dwindling brazier, sitting cross legged in front of the shrine.

“…Gods…I don’t know how to fucking pray…umm, hey there, Fjord? If you can hear me, it would be real great helping me figure this shit out…”He said, almost sarcastically. He paused, listening and hearing only the dribbling of the fountain and the faint breathing of the orphans that had sought shelter in the Temple.

He felt a familiar sting in his chest and coughed, surprised to feel the taste of brine in his throat.

“That’s quite bold of you…walking into my temple with one of The Three Eyed Lady’s Tokens.” Said a voice and he turned around, seeing a man with green and blue skin standing before him. He wore armor that had barnacles crusted over it, seashells decorated his sword’s sheath and as he continued to speak, he was surprised to find his voice changed.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“…M-Melhar…” He stammered, unable to move. This had to part of his dream. There was no way he was speaking to a God. To the Lord of Many Faces.

“Melhar. Why are you here?” He asked and Melhar gulped, feeling his mouth suddenly go dry, but the taste of salt still present.

“I uh…I don’t want it anymore…I don’t know how to get rid of it though…I thought, since you know, God of the Ocean and all” He said ”I’ll do anything to get rid of it!” He added, and Fjord smirked.

“It is not simple to break your pact.” He said and Melhar looked down at the stone floor. “It doesn’t matter if you made it unwillingly. She’s got her hold on you…”

He should have known. He heard Fjord sigh and a sea breeze come over him.

“It’s actually convenient, since it shouldn’t be anywhere near the ocean. Head on up to Zedash, there’s a little get together happening. Only two people, but…I think a third person could help…” He said, smirking.

“Will I be able to destroy this?” He asked hopefully and Fjord shrugged.

“Maybe, maybe not.” He replied and in a spray of saltwater, vanished. Melhar frowned and looked down at his palm, feeling sick to his stomach.

Zedash would be a long trip. He tried to envision a map and counted on his fingers.

If he was able to buy a horse and hurried, he could make it under ten days.

He was pleased somewhat that he talked the Stable Master to sell him a horse for 60 gold, and even got a discount on the road rations since he was buying in bulk.

He took one last look at his palm before covering it in a riding glove and heading North.

Laigan danced in the saddle she shared with Briphi, squealing excitedly as the walls of Zedash became visible on the horizon. Briphi smirked at the gnome sitting in front of her and urged her horse forward, Laigan holding on tighter as the horse began to gallop towards the gates.

The guards waved them in, with only a quick explanation as their business.

“Which way is the library?” asked Briphi and Laigan nodded.

“Oh, uh, head straight until you hit the Penta market, then left. It’s a couple streets up. Just ask a local or find the monks in blue or the wizards.” He said and Briphi smiled and found a nearby stable master.

“The walk should only take us 30 minutes or so. You said you had to speak to Beauregard? Or just visit her temple?” asked Briphi. Laigan twiddled her thumbs.

“To be totally honest, I’m not quite sure. He just said to ‘Tell her Royal Unpleasantness Hello’. I don’t know if that means I have to directly commune with her or what? Maybe I’ll get more instructions when I get there, but I’m not hopeful…” She lamented and Briphi raised an eyebrow, petting Mir.

“Why do you say that?” Laigan sighed and kicked a rock.

“I…I got really lucky I guess, to be able to speak with Mollymauk…but what he told me wasn’t very encouraging. He gave me this tattoo, which I guess gave me my spells, but he told me he wouldn’t be able to leave his temple.” She said and Briphi furrowed her brows.

That didn’t personally make any sense to her, but religion was not her strong suit. Briphi ruffled the disheartened gnome’s hair.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I’m getting hungry, and this Penta market sounds like it might have food. I’ll buy.” She suggested and swiftly picked her up, settling her on her shoulders and quickly deciding to find a food stall.

Soon enough, they found a small little pastry shop and Briphi smiled as Laigan licked the honey off of her fingers, thanking Briphi with a mouthful of pastry. Briphi responded in kind and headed off towards where the Knowledge Keeper’s Temple was.

It was a large temple, split into multiple parts. There was a courtyard in front, where Laigan could see a mixture of people mingling. Some wore blue and grey robes, in multiple styles, while other’s wore reds and purples. The courtyard branched off slightly to a separate street, which led to a small arena, where She could hear cheering. Briphi, however, was powering through the courtyard, towards the stone building’s main entrance, passing by some students with books under their arms or on their laps. Laigan rushed up to follow the Tiefling and just managed to squeeze her way in between the small gathering and find Briphi at the front counter to an enormous library.

She could see on the wall to the Library, was a depiction of the Knowledge Keeper himself.

His statue depicted a man in a fur lined coat and scarf, with cupped and outstretched hands, holding a flame. A cat weaved through his legs at the base, where there were offerings of gold, scrolls and what looked like a prayer hanging. Part of Laigan wondered why someone who was associated with books, also had ties with fire, but she shook the thought from her head as she tore her eyes away from the statue wielding magical flames.

“-unfortunatly, you must be a student for access to certain areas of the library. You are free to peruse the public section of course!” said the clerk, pushing his glassing up his nose. Briphi’s tail flicked and she sighed heavily. Laigan stepped up to the counter then, and the clerk looked down at her.

“Hi! I was wondering which way to the Temple of Beauregard?” she asked, and the clerk looked her up and down, settling on the emblem on her chest.

“Past the third stack of books and to the left, her temple entrance is just beyond her statue, but if you’re looking to commune, you might have to wait.” He said carefully and She cocked her head.

“Why?”

“…because it’s The Day of Champions.” He replied. Laigan smacked her head with her palm and nodded.

“I’ve been on the road a while, I’m such an idiot.” She said and the clerk gave her a smile as she waved and headed towards the arena. Laigan waited until she was out of earshot of the clerk to begin cursing herself.

She was such an idiot. Of course, there wouldn’t be any priests or priestesses to guide her through the communion.

Which she still didn’t know how to do properly. She had never considered herself religious to begin with, and she was pretty sure the other Deities didn’t use what she presumed to be hallucinogens to speak to their worshippers.

Laigan approached the loud arena, with blue and grey banners with Beauregard’s symbol, a closed fist, draped on the exterior. There were a variety of cooked foods and drinks outside and were presumably free as they didn’t have any attendees. She watched a few people walk off with a pastry and she herself grabbed a small ham sandwich, letting it settle beside the honey bun she had eaten earlier. She managed to squeeze through the loiterers and find a small area in the crowd to watch the current fight.

There was smatterings of blood across the sand and the two combatants seemed to be giving each other a run for their money. One was a half elf woman, with black hair in a bun that was coming loose and sticking to her with sweat. The other was a green colored dragonborn, his robes just as coated in sweat as his opponent. The crowd didn’t appear to have a favorite necessarily, with cheers split down the middle with each blow.

Eventually, the Dragonborn landed the final blow, sending his opponent to the sandy floor. There was a raucous applause, people standing up from their benches. Laigan couldn’t help herself cheering with the rest of them. The half elf struggled to get up for a moment, before the Dragon born helped her up and shook her hand, even ruffling her hair. They both waved at the crowd and walked out into a side exit before an announcer came out, doing a quick wave of his hands.

“What a fight! It seems High Priest Suldaar remains as such!” He said, the Thaumaturgy he had cast making his voice boom over the arena. Laigan moved out from her spot and disappeared back into the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two monks that had been dueling.

Briphi grumbled as she closed another book, pushing it as far as she could. She would think that a book titled ‘The Conjuration Compendium’ would be at least have a modicum of help. Instead, the author prided himself on simply listing the different types of conjuration, but barely even elaborating. She stroked Mir, who was resting on her lap and pulled another book from her stack, this one titled ‘Haver’s Collection of Conjured Beasts and Elements’ and she flipped it over to the first cover, blinking her eyes at the small and condensed font. She flipped to the last page.

406 pages.

She chewed her lip and settled into her chair, bracing herself for a long, but hopefully productive read.

It wasn’t until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she looked up, blinking her yellow eyes and rubbing one, looking into the eyes of her gnome companion.

“Hey! It’s like, 8 O’ Clock, and the High Priest is too tired from the Arena but promised to see me tomorrow! Did you want to go to an Inn together or did you want to split up?” She asked, her words blurring together. Briphi furrowed her brow, looking out the windows at the setting sun.

“How long were the fights?”

“Oh, I caught the tail end of it, but I didn’t want to disturb you, so I walked around town and then got an Inn room but thought I would check in with you at the Library.” She said. Briphi couldn’t help smiling at that.

“Sure, let me just see if I can check out this book or if they can hold it for me so I can read it tomorrow too.” She said and Laigan smiled eagerly, following her to the front desk.

The clerk agreed to set it behind the counter, taking her name and using the slip of paper as a bookmark, and Laigan happily skipped ahead, leading Briphi to the Inn where she had already rented a room, explaining that it was very affordable.


	5. Vague but Important Answers

Melhar scanned the tavern, unsure of what to think. There was supposed to be a ‘little get together’, of only two people, and they were supposed to be in Zedash. The two individuals’ could feasibly be in any part of the city, but if they were travelers, then they would be in a tavern, and this was the first one he saw.

It was modest and welcoming, at least to what Melhar was used to, with beer stained floorboards and the standard issue grumpy sailor. This tavern however, had rounded tables, two looking particularly new in comparison. He rubbed his hands on his pants, then smiled as the busser came by with a wet cloth and quickly wiped it down and then walked away just as quick, no eye contact even made. There was a second floor, and it was significantly better looking, if only because no one ate or drank up there.

So he looked at the bar room floor, searching for a small group.

The tables were mainly filled with either single patrons, or groups of three, but his eyes eventually settled on an armored gnome woman bringing over drinks to a red Tiefling in fine robes. The Tiefling woman accepted the drink and they began chatting amongst themselves. From Melhar’s spot, he couldn’t quite hear what they were speaking about, but the Tiefling seemed to be trying to comfort her companion.

How weird would it be if he just approached them?

He slid down in his chair. Probably very weird. He looked older than them, by a few years, but with gnomes it was harder to tell.

Why did the Gods feel the need to be so vague?

Melhar looked down at his palm and scratched at it, grimacing at the raised orb embedded there then looked at the two ladies.

He stood up and hesitantly took a step forward before taking a deep breath and walking over, causing both of them to eye him, the gnome with curiosity and the Tiefling with suspicion.

“Excuse me, can I sit here?” he asked. They both looked at each other.

“Why?” Asked the Tiefling, looking him up and down. A purple cat lifted its head from her lap and gave an inquisitive _mrrp_. She held her chin high as she evaluated him.

“It sounds really crazy…but I think I’m supposed to?”

“…How crazy? Why do you think you’re supposed to?” asked the gnome, cocking her head. Her blonde hair slipped out from her ponytail, and she pushed it behind her ear. Melhar noticed her emblem.

A Cleric to Mollymauk. This had to be the right people, Fjord wouldn’t send him on a wild goose chase.

“The Lord of Faces told me there was a small gathering, really just two people meeting in Zedash, and I was supposed to join them…well, he said ‘help’, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to help, but-“ He began and the gnome smiled and pushed out a chair with her foot, the Tiefling leaned back in her chair, still eyeing him skeptically.

“I wouldn’t mind a little help, how about you Briphi?” she asked and Briphi sighed heavily, stroking her cat.

“I don’t know exactly how to help myself…sure, why the hell not.” She grumbled and Melhar grinned, sitting down.

“I’m Melhar. Pleased to meet you.” He said, and they shook hands, Melhar thankful that the Token was in his left palm.

“So, He didn’t mention what you were supposed to help with?” asked Briphi, cocking her head and Melhar gulped.

“Not a damn thing.”

“This’ll be fun then! How good are you at finding swords?” asked Laigan, and both Melhar and Briphi furrowed their brows.

“He asked you to find a sword?” asked Briphi quietly, and Laigan nodded, blushing slightly.

“Sorry, I didn’t think we would be sticking together, but yes. He wants me to find a sword.” She said.

Melhar rubbed his chin.

“I don’t really know…Who asked you to find this sword, a High Priest?” He asked.

“Mollymauk…it’s uh…it’s sort of a story, but the gist is he needs me to find a sword, but I have to talk to Beauregard first.” She replied.

Melhar stared at her, opening his mouth and then closed it. Laigan looked down at her hand, where a single tattoo of a wheel was, and Briphi exhaled, tapping her nails on the table.

“Please don’t tell me it’s the sword I’m thinking of.” She hissed out, and Laigan began to twiddle her thumbs. Melhar looked between the ladies, even more lost then when he began.

“…it might be…”

“Literally by the Gods, Laigan! How the hell…?!”

“I don’t know!” She shouted and Melhar leaned back in his chair, surprised by how quickly this discussion about a sword had escalated to shouting. The tavern seemed to agree, as it had silenced and turned its collective attention to the trio at the table. Laigan seemed to notice because she sniffed and hopped down from her chair, taking a swig from her tankard.

“I have to go…High Priest Suldaar is expecting me.” She said and walked out of the tavern. The patrons slowly turned back to their conversations and Briphi’s tail flicked in an irritated manner.

“…so what the fuck was that about?” he asked, and Briphi seemed to roll her eyes, although it was hard to tell.

“It looks like The Destiny Reader lost a sword, and Laigan is supposed to find it…how does that happen?!” She asked, and Melhar furrowed his brows, and looked towards the tavern door.

Laigan wiped her nose as she headed towards the temple and pushed back the frustrated tears.

She really had been pushing the thought back. She was hoping to just take this journey one step at a time, and not think about the bigger picture.

She tried being angry at a God, but He showed no sign of acknowledging that anger. She tried to just think of it like an errand, but the lingering thought kept poking at her.

Someone was good enough to steal from a God, and Laigan was supposed to find that person?

She should have just stuck to the dreams.

Beau heard a faint voice in her head.

It was quiet, and she didn’t recognize it, like some of her High Priests or monks. This voice was very quiet, and she briefly wondered if she should just ignore it. She could smell the hard earned sweat that came with the offering, the smell of blood from split lips and she couldn’t help her curiosity. She sat down, and sent her aspect out, feeling it pass through the Divine Gate and settle onto the material plane in her main temple.

There were two people there, the Dragonborn High Priest and monk, Suldaar, and a gnome, who was looking a little worse for wear, but otherwise fine. She crossed her arms and turned her attention to Suldaar, who bowed his head.

“This young acolyte of the Destiny Reader has a question for you.” He said simply, and Beau narrowed her eyes at her, finally seeing the tattoo emblazoned on her hand.

That motherfucker.

“He told me to say hello…” She said quietly and Beau wrinkled her nose, looking at this girl.

“I’m sure he did. Now, what question did you have?” She asked, and she gulped.

“It’s uh, not really a question. Mollymauk asked me to come here because his sword was stolen…I guess he thought you might know.” She said quietly and Beau rolled her eyes.

This poor gnome.

“No. He sent you here to bother me. We don’t know where his dumb sword is. Someone took it, and Veth’s mask, and Jester’s paintbrush, and now we’re scouring the whole damn universe. He picked you because he knew it would-“ She said and then paused, seeing her reaction. She looked horrified.

Utterly horrified at whatever Beau had said. Suldaar wore a similar expression.

Oh, right.

“…Yes, someone has managed to steal from the Gods. I don’t know how. I’m sure, however, that whoever took these artifacts won’t be keen on giving them up.” She said and bent down to look at the young cleric.

“You don’t look strong enough to scry…it might even be impossible, since you’ve never seen the objects in their glory…I’m surprised the dumbass didn’t send you a dream about his sword…Suldaar, are you capable of that?” she asked and Suldaar shook his head.

“No, but Nebt- Het is. I’ll ask her.” He said and she nodded.

Beau sighed and opened her eyes, withdrawing her aspect.

“Fucking Molly…Nebt-Het…She must be one of Caleb’s clerics. How did they not figure it out?” she asked and removed her staff from her back, slamming it on the ground and appearing in the Smoldering Library, and was greeted by Taryon, Percival and Caleb, each looking grim.

“Any luck, cause I think I figured it out.” She said, striding over to the table.

“You’ve found them?!” exclaimed Tary, his armor gleaming with his excitement and Beau sighed, shaking her head.

“No, Caleb, you’ll probably have one of your Cleric’s contact you. They’ll need a description of the stolen items. For scrying.” She said and the three of them looked at each other and collectively slammed their heads on the table.

“We are such idiots.” Muttered Percy. Caleb perked up then and held up a finger, smiling.

“Just a moment. I must answer a call.” He said and Beau grinned, pumping her fist. 

Laigan watched as the dark skinned half elven woman held a silver mirror, and whispered a few arcane words, furrowing her brows. She straightened up, and put her hand to her forehead before Suldaar suddenly caught her. Laigan chewed her lip, looking over the dragonborn’s shoulder.

“What? Did you find it? Are you okay?”

“I am fine…I saw it for a brief moment, then was…shoved back. They were putting on a necklace, after taking a bath. I suspect an anti-divination charm. It gave me a head ache.” She said and sighed.

“I saw Summer’s Dance, lying beside her. She appears to be a fire Genasi…with long red hair and dark skin. She is tall too. That’s all I saw. I am sorry.” She said and gave a weak smile. Laigan shook her head.

“Don’t be! That gives us a starting point! Thank you sooo much!” She cried and hugged the exhausted cleric before bowing her head and rushing out of the temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we're getting somewhere!!!


	6. Luck Knots

Briphi leaned against the wall of her bed, watching as Laigan meticulously strapped on her armor, then adjusted her weapon. She smiled at Briphi, then at Melhar, who apparently was determined to come with Laigan, wherever she needed to go.

She wondered why Melhar would be so willing to follow a God’s bidding, especially one known for deceiving people, even if it was usually for beneficial purposes. He seemed quite eager, and Briphi couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“So, the plan is we start searching this morning then?” She asked and Laigan nodded.

“Yeah, from what the Diviner said, the thief is a Fire Genasi woman. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see any defining features to where she was, so I guess the best we can do is start looking.” She said and Melhar gave a weak smile. Briphi looked down at his hands.

Melhar was wearing riding gloves. He had been wearing them last night, and was wearing them again, and He occasionally tugged on them, seeming to test their fit over and over again.

She didn’t like it.

“Well, where do you think we should start? I think it’s likely that a thief of that caliber is working alone.” he suggested.

“Or is the leader of an organization. Having artifacts like those would command a lot of respect.” Mused Briphi and Laigan nodded in thought.

“…Why don’t we ask around? Genasi aren’t exactly common.” Laigan suggested and Briphi frowned.

“Won’t that look suspicious? ‘Yes, hello good sir, I was wondering if you saw this extremely unique individual. Took a God’s artifacts? If you could let us know where they were that would be great.’ ” She said, rolling her eyes. Melhar smirked.

“I’ve already got that fucking covered. I was thinking about it last night. We can start with an Innkeeper. Not this one since they’ve already seen us.” He said with a wink and put his hands on his hips. Laigan smiled.

“What can we do? How are we going to do it?!” She asked excitedly and once again Briphi narrowed her eyes at him.

Laigan followed Melhar through the streets of Zedash, taking a mental note of each street and Alley she hadn’t encountered yet. Briphi trailed behind them somewhat but kept pace none the less. Once Melhar spotted a Tavern, he made a bee line for it and looked around before stopping and turning to Laigan and Briphi.

“Ok, so here’s the plan. I’m just going to bullshit my way through this, alright? As long as we know her description, we’re good. You guys can play along, or be quiet, doesn’t matter.” He said and Laigan cocked her head.

“What do you mean?”

“Just…I’ve done this shit before, and have some real world experience, so I’m pretty sure it’ll work.” He said and pushed open the door, walking over to the bar.

The bar was manned by an older dwarven man, with a gray beard and cauliflowered ears, and Laigan immediately felt intimidated by him. He looked at them with a sour look and Melhar cracked a smile.

“Room or drink?” mumbled the dwarf and Melhar put down a gold, and Laigan gulped.

“A drink and an important question.” He said and the old man pocketed the gold, eyeing him curiously.

“I’ll have a whiskey shot because I’m really worried about my sis. See, my sis ran away from the orphanage we were at, about six months ago, which didn’t make any sense, since we would have been out in five months. I just got kicked to the curb, and I’m looking for her, since she hasn’t even sent me a damn letter.” He said, and then gulped down the shot. The dwarf cocked his head.

“Your sister eh? What she look like?”

“She’s a fire Genasi. I took after mum, she took after dad, and well…needless to say dad wanted nothing to do with us.” He said, looking down. “She has long red hair, and dark skin, like me. She has these fierce red and yellow eyes too.” He said and the dwarf paused in thought then shook his head.

“Can’t say that I have. She would have stuck out like a sore thumb too. I imagine you’ve been askin’ around?” He chuckled and Melhar snorted.

“Every damn place I go too. Already checked the other tavern. I just…I want to make sure she’s okay, you know? She just up and left.” He said and the dwarf poured him another shot, which Melhar gratefully accepted.

“Sorry son, I know how important family can be. Worth some 9 am whiskey, that’s for damn sure. I hope you find her.” He said and Melhar thanked him before walking out.

Once they were out, Briphi clicked her tongue and Laigan looked up at her and avoided her swishing tail.

“What?”

“That got us nowhere.” She said and Melhar frowned.

“I said I was pretty sure it would work. This is only the first place.” He said, and Laigan nodded.

“I agree. We can continue with the ‘sister’ ruse for a little longer, and then switch tactics.” She suggested.

They went to the Lawmaster’s office, asking the guard and clerk, all saying they didn’t spot any new and unique individuals, save Briphi. They asked storekeepers that a thief might frequent, and none had seen her either. They retired to the Inn and sat down at a table, disheartened. Briphi toyed with the embroidery on her sleeves as Mir batted at her horn jewelry. Laigan lay her head on the table, an easy task to achieve and Melhar slouched, looking at the two ladies.

“He promised…” Laigan whispered. Melhar raised an eyebrow.

“Who promised?”

“Mollymauk. He said it would be hard, but I’d be lucky.” She said and sighed.

“I guess he didn’t know the thief had also taken Veth’s mask.” Muttered Melhar. Laigan sat up then and dug around in her coin purse, smiling slightly at the coins.

“There’s one place we haven’t checked yet…and maybe that’s where the luck will be.” She said, hopping off the chair. Melhar raised an eyebrow has Laigan scurried out the door and down the street, heading in the direction of the local tattoo parlor.

“What are you looking to do? If it’s something small, we can do it today, but we may have to do an appointment for a larger piece.” Said the heavily tattooed man behind the desk.

“Well, I’m hoping to start a piece, something that can easily be picked up on back home. I’m from Hupperdook.” She said, tapping her symbol and the tattooist nodded knowingly.

“I see, shame, I usually like to continue my own work, but I understand.” He said and rubbed his chin.

“I was hoping to get a knot with four-four leaf clovers sprouting from it .” She said and he smirked.

“Where at love?”

She pointed at her right inner wrist, then drew up her forearm. He nodded thoughtfully.

Melhar stood up, ready to follow Laigan, but felt a tug on his arm. He turned back and the grip on his arm became tighter, Briphi’s eyes glaring into his own.

“Melhar. I am going to say this once.” She said and he furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

“What?”

“If you hurt her, I will destroy you. I will not hesitate either. Laigan is too good for this world, and if you even think of ruining that, I will end you.” She said and Melhar recoiled in shock.

“Where the fuck is this coming from? I’ve literally just met you-“

“Exactly. To be frank, I don’t like the way you keep tugging at those gloves of yours.” She said and Melhar glanced down at his leather gloves, gulping. Briphi’s grip tightened around his wrist.

“So, if you do anything to hurt her, I will not waste a second. Do we understand each other?” She said and Melhar nodded. She smiled then and released her grip, walking past him, and out the tavern. He looked down at his palm, and flexed his hand, feeling nausea creep up on him.

Did Briphi think he was somehow targeting this poor cleric? She had been right about Laigan being too good for the world. She was surprisingly cheery; despite the situation she was charged with. Last night had filled her with a new energy, even though it was such a small lead.

He took a deep breath, pushing Briphi’s threat to the back of his mind. He didn’t need to worry about because he really was there to help. He still wasn’t quite sure how.

If it got rid of the token in his hand, however, he was more than willing.

Briphi opened up the tattoo parlor she had seen Laigan duck into , catching her breath after chasing down the surprisingly fast gnome. Melhar didn’t seem to be winded at all but did have some sweat gathered near his temples. Her eyes landed on the cleric in question, happily sitting in a chair and holding her right forearm out while a tattooed elven man gently stenciled in a design. The top part of her armor sat beside her on the floor, shining in the lamplight.

“There you are! I was wondering when you were going to catch up!” She said cheerily and returned back to the artist.

“Oh, I like that!” She said and he smiled in response.

“You’re getting a tattoo? How do you think that will help?” Melhar asked, peeking over her shoulder.

The artist was now gathering some ink he had prepared. There was a knot, tightly tied in a complex way, with clovers peeking out of it. There were clover blooms beside it, peeking behind the knot, like they were about to share some sort of secret.

“Full color love?”

“The knot can be black and white, but the clovers should definitely be green and pink.” She said and he nodded, choosing the colors accordingly. Laigan was now completely focused on the new tattoo, so Melhar sighed and took a seat, Briphi following suit.

“How about a red knot? It’s considered lucky in a few culture’s across the sea?”

She watched with some interest as Laigan flinched once the needle tapped into her skin, but within five minutes, had settled comfortably into the chair, commenting on the artists own tattoos.

“I got the mermaid all the way over in Marquet. I traveled for a long time, I’ve seen mermaids and volcanos, been up North to the Frozen Depths, all sorts of places.”

“Really? You were an adventurer?”

“Sort of. Just had a wander lust is all, never really fought anything, or delved into creepy ruins. I loved seeing the world is all. Even now, I’m tempted to close up shop and start again. The world can change a lot in a hundred years.” He said, stretching, and wiping stray ink and blood from her arm.

“That’s awesome! Have you ever met any Genasi?” she asked and Briphi raised her eyebrows.

“Oh yeah, a few. They can be a bit strange, but the same can be said for anyone really.”

“Have you met any recently?”

“Hmm?” He asked, looking at Laigan curiously, and she smiled innocently. The artist smirked back and continued tapping the needle into her skin.

“I have, actually. In passing, maybe a week ago. I went to pick up some of my specialty inks, I don’t exactly trust some of the mail carriers with the gem dust. And saw one, a lady I think, headed down the Amber Road…Take it you’re looking for a Genasi?” he said and Laigan giggled.

“Maybe. She’s uh…”

“On a shit list?” he suggested and Laigan nodded.

“That’s one way of putting it.” She said and he nodded, wiping her arm off again.

“Well, I won’t ask, it’s not my business. Tattoos are.” He said and smiled as Laigan moved her fingers and admired her arm.

“It’s beautiful. Look guys! The clover blossoms are so bright!” She said and Briphi smiled, stepping forward to admire the craftmanship. The knot was extremely detailed and didn’t clash with the organic look of the flowers, with their four leaves poking out among the rope. The salve he was putting on it had a relaxing smell to it and gave her arm a nice sheen.

“It really is amazing.” She agreed. Melhar whistled and Laigan beamed, digging into her coin purse.

“Thirty gold.” She smiled and his eyes widened.

“That’s a big tip…” He said and Laigan shook it off.

“Well, does anyone else want something? I’m free for the rest of the day. Just give me an hour break.” He said and Briphi shook her head. Melhar shook his.

“Not today, but I’ll keep you in mind. That’s a great fucking piece.” He complimented and once again the artist smiled. 

Laigan couldn’t keep her eyes off of her new tattoo and hummed every time she glanced down at it, her arms seeming to twinkle. She currently had the sleeves of her under armor tunic rolled up, allowing the air to dry the salve protecting the fresh wound.

“That’s a luck knot, right?” asked Melhar and Laigan nodded.

“You know them?”

“Yeah, used to tie them all the time, handed a few out to the sailors going on long trips.” He shrugged, and tucked his hands into his pockets, pulling out a small knot. It was frayed slightly, and the white rope had stained significantly with age.

“Afraid this one hasn’t done me any good recently…in hindsight anyway.” He said and tucked it back into his pocket. Laigan playfully jabbed him in the leg.

“That’s alright, I have a feeling this one will help.” She said and looked back down at her new tattoo.

“Double the luck?”

They all turned as a town crier passed, holding a scroll and calling at the top of his lungs.

“Mothers beware! New sickness taking hold of the expecting! Hang buttons above your door and cradles!” he cried out and Melhar chewed his lip.

“Yeah. We’ll need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luck knots are found in a variety of cultures, most notably in Asian countries. In china, red is considered a very lucky color. Four leaf clovers are popular in western countries, and originate from Celtic beliefs. 
> 
> On a different note, I sort of have this idea that most if not all of Mollymauk's followers have at least one tattoo, but are more than likely brimming with artwork.


	7. New Spells

A breeze blew through the elegant jade trees, their golden leaves rustling in the wind, a few even slowly falling and coming to rest on the tall green grass, silver dew drops slipping down them. She turned towards the sound of a bird as it poked it’s head above the grass, it’s multi-colored tail feathers fanning out. They shimmered in the sun, like gems were encrusted within them.

“That’s a lovely tattoo Darling.”

Laigan turned to face the voice, meeting the twinkling red eyes of the familiar purple God. He grinned.

“I thought you said you couldn’t leave your temple.” She said and raised an eyebrow. Mollymauk smirked.

“I can’t. Dreams are easier to move through then the prime material plane. Your subconscious is easy to navigate, I’m afraid this is going to be the only way to talk to you.” He said and turned her arm up to get a better look at the luck knot and clovers emblazoned on her skin.

“That was smart thinking. I told you luck would be with you.” He said with a wink and Laigan rolled her eyes. He only smiled wider and walked around her, his jewelry shining bright enough to blind her, but she was surprised to find it didn’t. The peacock feathers seemed to move as he walked too, never leaving his face, but still acting as if the world had dominion over them.

“Well, you’ve gotten stronger. I think that means you can handle these.” He said and squeezed her shoulders. A pleasant warm shiver ran through her body and she looked back at Molly.

“You can now cast up to six spells, make some stronger, if you want. Just light a little incense in the morning and think about the ones you want. I’ll be more than happy to help you out. I just can’t help you turn away the dead or give a free duplicate.” He said, a little sorrowfully and Laigan chewed on her lip.

“…Why did you pick me? I…I was just some urchin on the streets. There are plenty of other people I’m sure.” She said and Mollymauk chuckled a bit, turning her towards him.

“I am the God of Destiny, luck and second chance with plenty of debauchery on the side. I got you out of the gutter, didn’t I? You have two new friends, and I know the three of you can find this thief and get our stuff back.” He said. “I offered you an alternative, didn’t I?”

Laigan huffed and felt his crimson eyes still focused on her as the question lingered in the air.

The alternative was a joke, he had effectively coerced her into helping.

But he wasn’t wrong either.

“How do you plan on retrieving it?” She asked, breaking the silence and Molly gave a non-committal shrug.

“We’re working on it, the smart ones anyway. It helps to have a cleric near the items. You just worry about finding them, Darling.” He said, giving a soft kiss to her forehead.

Her surroundings faded then, to a normal looking tavern, where Molly manned the bar, holding up a tankard of ale before being replaced by a barmaid.

He pulled out his cards and drew one, watching with a smile as his little cleric rubbed her eyes as she roused. The card shifted back to its normal image, a woman beside a lion, her fingers entwined in its gold mane and framed in golden filigree. It sat reversed, but he couldn’t help but smile.

“You’ll see, Darling. You embody this card. I look forward to seeing it upright.”

“Molly, There’s another meeting.” Said a quiet voice from behind him and he stood up from his chair, smiling at the tall woman in his living room. Her braided black hair that turned white at the tips crackled with lightning, and her heterochromatic eyes reflected the storms she created.

“Coming Yasha Dear.” He said, taking her arm and following her out.

“So, here’s the working plan.” Began Percival and the gathered Gods nodded, waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath, hoping he could make it as concise as possible, especially since He knew The Allmaker preferred knowing all the details. They were a fair being, but there were laws older than the Gods themselves that they followed. 

“Your Cleric finds the thief and the items. Then, one of us uses a Channel Divinity to create an aspect and retrieve the items along with the thief?” He asked and they nodded.

“It would have to be me, since She’s mine.” Said Molly and Percival pursed his lips. That was the stick in the plan though. Molly couldn’t leave his main temple. Caleb seemed to pick up on Percy’s thought.

“It’ll be easier if it’s either Molly, Jester or Nott, since they have a connection to the items…” agreed Caleb. “And even without a channel divinity, it’s hard for mortals to channel other Gods.” He continued. Percy sighed.

“It’s going to be a pain to even convince The Allmaker to allow us to use a new and weak Cleric outside of a Temple.” Groaned Beau and they all went quiet.

After taking a deep breath and massaging her cramped hand, she held her book in front of her, studying the spell. It had taken her a few times, and unfortunately that meant 75 gold in paper and ink, but she was satisfied that the symbols were accurately drawn, and the spell’s runes were scripted neatly among the spell’s matrix. The excitement fluttered through her chest and she held it close.

“This should do nicely.” She said, and looked over at Mir, who meowed at her and resumed grooming her fur.

“How about you Laigan?” She asked and Laigan held up a finger, still whispering to herself. Briphi put her head in her palm, watching her with interest. After a few more moments, Laigan opened her eyes and snuffed out the incense, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you think it matters if I keep the half burnt sticks? They should still work, right?’ She asked and Briphi shrugged.

“I know when I have to bring Mir back, I need full sticks. I don’t know how Cleric stuff works.” She said, shrugging. Laigan sighed.

“You know he gave me some new spells last night?”

“That was nice of him. Did he mention anything about the missing artifacts?”

“No, just that they’re working on a solution. ‘The smart ones’, anyway. I think he meant The Knowledge Keeper and The Name Master. Maybe even The Lady of Questions.”

“What’s it like? Talking to a God? I prefer my books, you know that, but I am fascinated.”

Laigan laughed and looked down at her tattoos. Before bed, she had cast Cure Wounds on her new tattoo, and fully healed it, so now it looked like a week had past. It had scabbed over, peeled, and still looked brand new.

“It’s…interesting and infuriating at the same time. He’s nice, but in that snarky way.” She said and smiled before standing up.

“Should we see what Melhar’s up to?” she asked, beginning to don her armor and Briphi snorted, buckling her book in her side holster beside the spell components. She gave Briphi a curious look but took her hand and led her out the door and down the stairs to the Tavern proper.

Melhar looked up as they sat down and pushed a plate of biscuits and gravy towards them, along with some tea.

“I ordered for you; I hope that’s ok.” He said, and Laigan happily cut into her breakfast and Briphi stared at Melhar over her cup. She sipped tentatively at the lemongrass flavored tea and Melhar sighed and resumed his breakfast, nodding as Laigan cheerfully thanked him with a full mouth.

Briphi was sad to see the walls of Zedash fade into the distance, their tall spires shrinking until the horizon devoured them. She looked down in front of her at Laigan, clutching the saddle pommel as they rode. At least Laigan was glad to have another lead, in addition to some company.

“I traveled up the Amber Road, so I have some minor experience of what to expect.” Said Melhar, rubbing the back of his head.

“It’s just a highway between cities, right?” asked Briphi and he nodded.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s without dangers. I ran into a big ass bear, but it didn’t cause too much trouble. There’s a junction along the way, that splits off. You can go to Felderwin in the East, or Deastock and Kamordah in the West. Then there’s Alfield and Trostenwald if we continue South.” He said, patting his horse on it’s neck and looking at the two of them.

“Well, The artist said he saw her along the road, while he was getting his gem dust. Do you know which one of those cities would have gem dust? It might narrow it down.” Suggested Laigan.

Melhar shivered as they made camp, looking up into the clear sky. No clouds obscured the moons or stars, but even their light seemed dimmer than usual. He looked down at the bundle of kindling he had gathered, gulping.

The heavens were dimming, babies were dying, and mothers were getting sick. Thieves were getting caught left and right, and the guards didn’t care If you were stealing to survive.

He looked over at Laigan, who was pulling out what would be their dinner, and chewed on his lip. If they got in a real pinch, then there would be nothing The Destiny Reader could do to help.

He brought the kindling over to the fire pit and set about lighting the fire.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Laigan and Melhar cursed as he dropped the match. She was so damn quiet.

“…I’m thinking how we’re gonna fix this fucking problem. I don’t have a fucking clue, and-“

“Do you curse all the time, or only when you’re angry?”

“What?”

“Do you curse all the time, or only when you’re angry?” she asked again, and he furrowed his brows.

“All the damn time. Is that a problem?” he asked, and Laigan shook her head.

“No, just curious. I think Briphi doesn’t like it, but she hasn’t said anything yet.” She said and sat down next to him, gently building up the fire. Melhar looked back at Briphi, who was carefully braiding her long brown hair, and frowning a bit as one of the curls escaped the pleat before she tucked it back in.

“Well, I don’t think she likes me in general, but I’m here to help you.” He said, turning his attention back to Laigan. She smiled, and Melhar couldn’t help but smile back. He could tell now that her smile was only half real. She was trying hard to stay upbeat, doing this task for her God. He noticed how she occasionally rubbed the tattoo on her palm, and how she seemed more excited about her new one than anything.

They ate in relative silence, and Melhar offered up first watch, ignoring the glare Briphi cast in his direction.

He threw another log on the fire, watching the sparks travel up and die in the sky then stood up and walked the perimeter, thankful that there were some benefits to making that pact with The Three Eyed Lady. The dark vision was certainly a blessing to a human. The grass waved gently with the breeze and he returned to his spot around the fire, satisfied.

He turned his attention to the embedded token in his left palm and took off his glove, rubbing the glowing orb disdainfully.

“I can’t wait to be fucking rid of you…I’ve got to help Laigan first…but then Fjord will tell me how to get rid of you. I’m sure of it.” He said, glaring at the unblinking eye. He could practically hear Her laughter in his ears, and it churned his stomach.

He had no doubt he would lose his powers, but once he was rid of the token, he wouldn’t really need them anyway.

He looked down as something rubbed up against his leg and found Mir rub her body along his leg, purring loudly. He looked over at Briphi, who appeared to be sleeping soundly, her jewelry already packed away in it’s own carrying case. He allowed Mir to hop into his lap and he pulled the glove back on, stroking the purple cat.

“Do you think Briphi would get mad to see you over here?” He chuckled, looking down at Mir. She chirped, batting at his left hand. Melhar sighed and shoved it in his pocket.

“Sorry, that’s not for you, magic cat or otherwise.”

Laigan yawned as she crawled out from inside her bedroll, shivering slightly at the cold night air.

“My turn?” she asked and Melhar nodded, stifling a yawn himself. He gave her a lazy pat on her shoulder before crawling into his own bedroll and turning away from the dwindling embers. Laigan briefly considered rebuilding the fire, if only to keep herself warm, but thought better of it. She could use her watch time to at least gather wood and kindling for breakfast.

She snapped off dry branches and collected grass, humming a tune her sister had taught her before she died, moving around the camp. A high pitched howl made her whip around, and she hurried back to camp, dropping the fuel near the fire pit and scanning the moon lit horizon.

Another high pitched howl and the sound of some sort of animal approaching, a cacophony of laughter intertwined with the growls.

She could see hunched over figures, six in total, barely illuminated by the light and while she had never seen any in person, why would she have, she had heard tales.

“Briphi! Melhar, wake up!” she shouted, rushing over to them.

Melhar was quicker to rouse, and immediately stood up, running his hand through his already mussed up hair. Briphi’s eyes shot wide open, but she sat up slower, looking over the distance.

“Gnolls.” Squeaked out Laigan, her heart dropping as she looked behind her.

The Gnolls had burst into a full sprint, each wielding some sort of old and worn weapon, most likely scavenged from some unlucky traveler or guard. They all were scarred and wore tattered rags and ramshackle armor, metal shoulder guards with leather chest pieces. The larger one, heavily scarred with a ripped ear and glassed over eye wore a chainmail shirt, rusted with dried blood.

Laigan watched an icicle whiz past her shoulder, and the Larger Gnoll deftly moved out of the way, never breaking pace. Soon, the Tiefling wizard was on Laigan’s right side, and Laigan held out her hand in protest as She ran ahead to meet the Large Gnoll. It drew a glaive, chipped but none the less sharp and slashed into Briphi, once across her arm and missing entirely with it’s second swing as She managed to duck. It then barked out an order and the third Gnoll in the formation rushed over to Melhar, leaping onto him and biting into His unprotected arm, tearing away some flesh with it. He threw off the Gnoll and raised his hand into the night sky, his eyes going an unnatural black. Laigan looked back over at Briphi, readying another spell and chewed on her lip before holding her own hand out and clutching the white sheet of parchment she had used only a couple of weeks ago. She smiled briefly as the glimmering magical shield settled over her before turning her attention back to Melhar.

Melhar began chanting the spells name, allowing it to reverberate through his body, holding aloft the pickled tentacle of some unfortunate octopus. He pointed towards the ground where three of the Gnolls still stood, stalking towards them and watched as a sphere of pitch black manifested, frosting the ground it touched. He could hear the whispers and unsettling slurping sound even from his distance, along with the confused and pained yelps of the Gnolls trapped inside. He watched one quickly sprint out of the darkness, scrambling up from the ground as a black tentacle attempted to wrap itself around it’s heels and drag it back in. The moon illuminated the blood already staining the creature’s fur as it pulled an old longbow from it’s back and drawing it back, focused on Melhar. It loosed the arrow and Melhar swiftly rolled to the side and cried out in pain as the Gnoll beside him tore into his shoulder twice, and Melhar grimaced as saliva and his own blood dripped from the monster’s maw. An arrow left the concentrated darkness, going wide and missing Briphi entirely. He watched as yet another Gnoll escaped the darkness, and ran towards the party, leaving blood in its trail.

Briphi held out her hand and muttered some words in infernal, watching as the noxious green gas filled the Large Gnoll’s nose and eyes. It snorted, tightly closing it’s eyes and shaking it’s head, but almost seeming to grin as it opened it’s red rimmed eyes. It lifted it’s glaive to strike her again and she squeaked, looking over quickly to a clear spot in the field and allowed herself to step away in a silver mist, feeling only the wind the glaive left on her back. She then watched as the Gnoll looked over at Laigan, who took a tentative step back as saliva dripped from it’s mouth. It slashed out with it’s weapon, cutting deeply into the cleric, and Briphi watched as blood was cast into the night sky. Laigan gasped out and then let out another cry as the glaive slashed at her again. She stumbled back, and touched her chest and arm, a golden glow filling the wounds. Briphi watched in awe as Laigan held up her hands, and a shimmering mace appeared in the air, the moon’s glow passing through it, casting an almost purple glow on her face. She swung at the large Gnoll, a grimace on her face as it smacked into its cheek. It still stood, simply shaking it’s head to clear the pain. Beside Laigan, Melhar gripped the forearm of the Gnoll attacking him, snarling in some unfamiliar language. The Gnoll yelped as smoke drifted up from it’s arm, and then was sucked up into once of Melhar’s wounds. The Gnoll collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap and Melhar turned his attention to Laigan.

An arrow whizzed past Melhar, glancing off his armor and he could hear what he assumed to be a curse from the Gnoll, seeing it run forward to get closer. Another arrow, this time from the encapsulating darkness and aimed towards Briphi. He watched her put up her hand and a shield of light deflected it. He watched two more arrows shoot towards Her, one impacting her leg and she hissed as she stumbled back. She pulled something from her component pouch, and pointed at the Large Gnoll, and daggers appeared, driving into it’s head. Melhar skidded to a halt as even that didn’t seem to phase the creature and it jumped onto Laigan, tearing into her arm and snarling, going in for another bite. Laigan cried out and squeezed her eyes shut and he watched as three more Laigan’s appear beside her. The Gnoll paused in confusion and Laigan quickly rolled out from underneath it, swinging her holy mace again at it, and Melhar swore he could hear a bone or two crack. It remained standing however, and Melhar reached forward and gripped the furry limb of the monster, glaring at it as frost and ice crept up it’s arm. It pulled back and Melhar reeled back as an arrow was shot in his direction from the second Gnoll to escape the magical darkness he had set.

“Fjord! I thought He was supposed to be protecting her?! What was that weak little spell?” shouted Molly, staring down at his card and then glaring at Fjord.

“He’s doing his damn best Molly! Look at that Gnoll, it’s taking some hits. Avantika gave him some good spells.” He said bitterly, gesturing at the growling vision of the Gnoll, just as an arrow embedded itself into Laigan’s chest, just beside her heart. Molly growled at the Gnoll, and clenched his fists, the eyes on his tattoos flaring up.

“Fuck! I hate this!” He shouted, tugging at his purple hair. Laigan was lying on the ground, wheezing and clearly trying to stand but unable to find the strength. It was only made worse by the fact there were three other, identical Laigan’s beside her, each pouring imaginary blood. Blood dripped from their mouths and Molly chewed on his lip, hating that there was nothing he could do.

No spur of the moment Channel Divinity for her.

Laigan watched with blurry eyes as three magically missiles hit the Large Gnoll in it’s bloody chest, and she forced herself to lift her hand to her chest, pulling out the arrow and then quickly healing herself, spitting out the blood that had filled her mouth. She sat up and swung with her spiritual weapon again, cursing as her vision went blurry again and utterly missing the monster.

It didn’t matter, however, as blood continued to pour from it’s chest and it fell to one knee, growling before falling forward. The other Gnolls stalked over towards them, snarling and drooling over the battlefield.

“Laigan, get the fuck out of here, find Briphi!” shouted Melhar and she nodded weakly. She turned around and spit out more blood, crawling over to where she had seen Briphi last, she had teleported over to her tent, her tail thrashing wildly as her glowing yellow eyes reflected the moonlight. She could see from the corner of her eye Melhar touch the second Gnoll that had approached to join it’s companion, frost creeping up it’s chest and then moving back to block them from Laigan, only to be bit by the same Gnoll he had briefly frozen. Another Gnoll shot at him, striking at him in his leg and he gritted his teeth, ripping it out of his leg. Laigan felt tears bubble up as a Gnoll leapt onto Briphi, biting into her neck, narrowly missing her jugular by some miracle. Briphi growled out and the Gnoll yelped out in pain as flames licked up it’s body and it jumped off her, attempting to pat the hellish flames out.

Briphi saw Melhar dodge a spear and she growled at the Gnoll on top of her, covering its mouth with her hand and filling it’s lungs with the poisonous gas. It’s eyes rolled back in it’s head as it spasmed and went limp, Briphi allowing herself to collapse beside it. She felt wet hands on her neck and smiled weakly as multiple Laigans poured healing magic into her, then turned around and swung her magical mace at a Gnoll that had suddenly joined the fray. Melhar punched the Gnoll that Laigan had hit, it’s fur freezing on contact. He rolled out of the way as it attempted to bite him, then dodged an arrow and finally another bite from a Gnoll.

“How is he so strong?” asked Briphi, standing up and groaning in pain.

“I don’t know.” Replied Laigan and Briphi grimaced again as she fired out three magic missiles, impacting the Gnoll that had tried to shoot Melhar and watching as the projectiles tore into it’s chest, leaving a hollowed out corpse. Laigan swung with her weapon and cursed as it missed yet again, glaring and firing out sacred flame, not even happy when it hit.

Melhar punched the Gnoll again, more frost glittering across it’s fur and creeping up to it’s head, freezing over it’s ear and eye. It fell to the ground, the ice shattering across the ground. The other Gnoll bit him in retaliation and Briphi snarled, reaching out and feeling the electricity course through her fingers and choking the final Gnoll, watching it fry before Melhar, and falling, smoking on the ground.

He tried to steady his breathing, looking at his two companions, soaked in blood and sweat. They stared back at him and Melhar clenched his right fist, dispelling the magical dark sphere in the distance. Briphi didn’t comment, although Melhar suspected she inevitably would. Laigan dropped her duplicates, and wiped the blood from her eyes, and then sat on the ground with a heavy thud.

“I fucking hate this.” mumbled Laigan.

“They weren’t people this time-“ said Briphi quietly.

“That’s not the issue! I-I don’t like fighting. I almost died, you almost died! I-I used the new spells He gave me and they didn’t do anything!” She said and put her head in her hands, sobbing. Melhar gulped, watching Briphi approach her and kneel beside her.

“Shh, Spells take practice. We’re okay, see? You healed me and yourself.” She soothed and Laigan sniffled. Melhar stepped aside, feeling like he was intruding, and instead began searching for anything interesting on the Gnolls.

They were covered in scars, and Melhar held his breath and did his best to avoid the maggot infested wounds from prior battles the Gnolls had fought. He found all sorts of odds and ends, and brought back 14 silver and 2 copper.

“Here, you two can have it.” He said, handing it over.

“…Why, did you already take a share?”

“No. I’m here to help Laigan. That’s all.” He said and Laigan sniffed, looking at the coins dropped in her hand. Melhar returned to the bodies of the Gnolls and began dragging them into a pile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long!!! I've been picking up extra hours at work and haven't had the energy to write.


	8. Girl's Day Out

When they walked into the Alfield tavern, Laigan looked up tiredly at the face of the gasping barmaid, now rushing around the bar.

“Oh my goodness! What happened to you three?!” she gasped, taking in their state. Laigan knew they looked absolutely atrocious.

She was physically and mentally exhausted, sticky with both her own blood and the Gnolls. Her hair clung to her skin with sweat and Briphi had a similar expression. Only Melhar looked better than them, and even he was looking rough.

“…Gnolls…do you have a…bath?” responded Briphi, pulling the collar of her tunic away, wincing as dried blood stuck to her skin.

“Oh of course! We’ve been having an issue with a small band of Gnolls, the guards were going to go hunting tomorrow.” She said, leading them towards a back room, fretting particularly over Laigan.

“Well we fucking killed them, so they won’t have much fucking luck…” mumbled Melhar and the Barmaid stopped.

“You what?”

“Six attacked us. We killed them.” He said, massaging his shoulder where an arrow had hit him. She opened her mouth and closed it again, staring blankly at the trio, who returned her look with tired eyes.

“How much for a bath and two rooms?” Melhar asked, breaking the silence and wiping his face. She nodded quickly.

“Just 7 silver.” She said and Melhar dug into his pocket, depositing the coins in her plump hands.

Laigan followed the woman into the small bathroom, only half listening to her explanation. She watched as Melhar simply dunked his head in a bucket and said he would be back after she and Briphi had washed up.

She just wanted to sleep.

“Laigan? Laigan, did you hear me?” said Briphi and Laigan blinked and turned her attention to her friend, who was holding some folded towels.

“I asked if you wanted to bathe first?”

“I don’t care.” She mumbled and Briphi sighed, setting the towels aside and dipping her hand into the bath. Seemingly satisfied, she began stripping and lowered herself into the water, sighing in content. Laigan watched as the water began turning pink as Briphi scrubbed her body, soap intermingling with the leftover carnage. Laigan winced as she saw some wounds she wasn’t able to heal all the way. There was a small puncture wound left over on her shoulder from the Gnoll that had bit her, and every time she moved her shoulder, she flinched. She seemed intent on getting clean though, clearly pushing through any pain.

Laigan really just wanted to sleep.

She listened absentmindedly to the sound of the bath draining and watched Briphi from the corner of her eye, really just a red blurry figure wrapped in a towel, moving around as the tub refilled.

“Alright Laigan, it’s full again.” She said and Laigan nodded, not moving.

“Did…Did you want me to leave?” asked Briphi and Laigan shrugged.

“Tell you what, I’ll just undo your armor, and you can do the rest. I want to see if they have some way of cleaning our clothes, or can at least give us something to wash them in.” Said Briphi and Laigan nodded, allowing Briphi to unbuckle her armor, setting it aside. Briphi then pulled out a new set of clothes for herself, a blue dress with a yellow sash before quickly braiding her hair and leaving Laigan alone.

Laigan looked over at the bath, watching the steam rise up and managed to heave herself up, getting undressed and climbing into the bath and just sitting for a moment.

“Can you hear me?” She whispered and listened before wiping the washcloth over her tattoo. The room was filled with nothing but the sound of water as she washed herself, and she felt a sob leave her throat.

“I didn’t think so. I fucking hate this. I’m going to die. I’m going to die trying to find your dumb sword-and-and…” She said and felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She couldn’t finish the thought, choosing to press her head against her knees and cry.

She was being a whiny child, she knew that, but it didn’t change the fact that she felt utterly helpless. She wanted to hide in some forgotten alley, where no one could find her, not even the Gods.

“Laigan, are you done?” asked Melhar, rapping on the door. Laigan sniffed and nodded, clearing her throat.

“Give me a moment to dry off and get changed.” She said hurriedly and drained the tub, fishing around in her pack for a spare change of clothes. She wiped at her eyes, realizing she only had her old dress. It was relatively clean, but the hem was torn to Hell, and there were holes in the pockets and on the shoulder. She quickly threw it on and stepped out.

“Your room is number 3 and I got dinner…what are you wearing?”

“Clothes.” She said and Melhar paused before nodding.

“Right, well Briphi said that the Innkeeper will happily wash the armor and clothes for free.” He said and Laigan nodded and pushed past him, heading up the stairs. She quickly opened and shut the door, finding Briphi had set some hot stew on the bedside table, while she was curled under the blankets with Mir in the crook of her knees. Laigan shuffled over and quickly devoured the stew, then hid under the blankets until sleep quickly took her.

Briphi opened her eyes, grumbling as the sun blinded her. She looked around the room, noticing a note had been pushed under the door, and sat up slowly, feeling her back pop. Her muscles were still sore, but otherwise she felt fine, and she looked over at Laigan, who was curled up in a ball under the blankets.

Mir chirped as she moved the blankets and Laigan smiled fondly, scratching under her chin.

“Good morning to you too. It’s a small town, but do you think we can find some books?” She asked and set about doing her makeup. If they were going to be resting in town, which she suspected they would be for at least a day, she wanted to look nice.

After putting the lip and eye palette away, she turned her attention to the note on the ground, and picked It up, deciphering the chicken scratch.

_Your clothes are clean, just ask for them._

_-Mindra_

She looked back at the sleeping cleric and set the note on the table, taking the empty dishes on her way out. Laigan had been absolutely exhausted, and she clearly needed some rest.

Briphi met Melhar down at a table, nodding as he pushed hash towards her.

“Morning.” He said and took a deep draft of his drink. Briphi took a bite of her breakfast.

“Aw come one, not even a good morning back?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

“Good Morning Melhar.” She said. He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

“So umm…I, fuck, I- you know her better than I do.” He said and Briphi quirked up an eyebrow, giving him a tired look.

“By a week, but yes.”

“Okay, so maybe you know. Is that her fucking nightgown, or just a dress?” he asked, and she furrowed her eyebrows.

“What?”

“I sound like such a Goddamn asshole-“

“You’ve noticed.” Briphi said smarmily and Melhar huffed, leaning over the table.

“Well, I just…I’ve only ever seen her in armor, or the tunic. She was just wearing a nasty dress last night is all.” He said and Briphi recoiled in her chair.

“…I don’t even know what to say to that.” She said and stood up.

“I said I would sound like an asshole! I’m not…trying to sound awful about it, I’m just…” He said and then quickly turned back to his breakfast, avoiding Briphi’s eyes. She glared at him a moment longer, until she was satisfied there was more than enough guilt crawling under his skin and walked up to the bar.

“Good Morning! I came over to fetch our clothes!” She said and the Barmaid, presumably Mindra nodded. She happily handed Briphi her own clothes and then Laigan’s, including her armor.

“Oh, one more thing! The Guard’s left this this morning!” She said and set two satchels on top of the pile.

“What’s this?” She asked, opening up one pouch.

“Forty five gold for each of you. You folks may have acted out of self-defense, but you saved the town from those creatures none the less!” She said cheerfully and Briphi just stared at Mindra.

“Well, go on. I hope your little friend upstairs is doing well.” She said and Briphi nodded and proceeded to balance the pile of clothes and gold in her arms, managing to open the door and shut it behind her. Laigan was still asleep, although had sprawled out like a starfish. Briphi set down her clean clothing and armor and turned her attention to her own robes.

They reeked of lemon, but she knew there was really nothing better to get blood out than that. Unfortunately, whoever had done the washing had scrubbed a bit too hard, as some of the previously bloody spots were thinner now. She frowned.

That’s what she got for bringing her fancy clothing, no matter how practical it was.

She turned around as Laigan began stirring, wiping drool from her mouth and turning her head towards Briphi. She blinked her eyes and rubbed at them.

“Good Morning. Feel better?” She asked and Laigan stretched, turning her attention to the ceiling.

“I think so. Nothing hurts anymore…and get this, Mollymauk felt so awful about yesterday he gave me more spells.”

“You’re joking. He literally gave you spells the other day!”

“I know, apparently he likes spoiling me. Just made me promise to get a new tattoo to show him. He doesn’t really care what of, he just likes seeing them.” She said, smiling. Briphi smiled back and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Well, prepare to be more spoiled. They cleaned our clothes for free, and the guards who were supposed to hunt down those Gnolls…paid us.” She said and Laigan turned her head, her eyes wide. Briphi nodded and dropped the coin purse in her hand.

“Forty five gold, Miss Laigan.” She said and she sat up, peeking into the pouch.

“Now I don’t know about you, but I think I’m going to go shopping, hopefully find some books, replenish my components and maybe find some jewelry, just because I can. I’ll ask around for this thief too.” She said with a smile and Laigan nodded.

“I should go shopping too.” Said Laigan and pushed off the covers, walking over to her tunic and began pulling it on. Briphi chewed on her lip, understanding what Melhar had meant.

He could have been much more tactful about it though.

“Girls day?”

“What about Melhar?” asked Laigan and Briphi huffed.

“What about him?”

“I just thought that since he’s part of the team he would want to go shopping too.”

“He can come find us. I think we should just go shopping. If he catches up, then fine. But I think we should just go now.” She said and Laigan chewed on her lip thoughtfully before nodding and smiling at her.

“Alright, let me quickly talk to Molly and eat something, then we can go.” She said and Briphi nodded, turning away and hiding a smile.

She couldn’t hear his voice, but she could imagine what he was saying, holding up cards she had learned to read simply by context.

_“Of course, Darling.”_ As she asked to disguise herself.

_“Planning on sneaking around?”_ she could hear his laugh.

_“I knew you were smart.”_ He said, as she asked to be able to locate items.

One by one she pulled cards, her tattoos pulsing with each one selected, until she could fill herself filled to the brim with all the magic she could hold.

She finally opened her eyes and stored away her materials, descending the stairs to find Melhar sitting in silence across the table from Briphi, who had saved a plate for Laigan.

“Briphi said you were having a girl’s day?” he asked and Laigan nodded.

“Yeah, She wanted to do some shopping and I thought I would tag along…” She said and Melhar nodded slowly.

“Alright, I’ll just ask around then, and maybe find you later. You two have fun.” He said and stood up, leaving the tavern.

“Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

“Maybe.” Shrugged Briphi and stroked Mir until they were ready.

Alfield wasn’t large, but surrounded by large and sprawling fields, making it seem larger than it was. They walked the main thorough fair, eventually turning onto a road that led to a large barn with a sign indicating it was a general store.

The building was large, but even larger on the inside, despite it’s cluttered state. She could tell Briphi was having a hard time navigating it, keeping the sleeves of her dress closer to her body to avoid snags. Laigan on the other hand had no issue ducking through the various farming tools and pottery, as she followed Briphi towards the book section.

It really only consisted of two standing bookshelves, each with four shelves but reading the titles she imagined it was varied, and clearly used books. Briphi didn’t seem to mind as she eagerly selected a book, flipping through it before setting it back on the shelf and selecting another.

“Are you looking for anything specific?’ She asked and Briphi shrugged.

“I like both fiction and anything magic related…I remember seeing a particular spell in Zedash, and after last night…I think it would be very useful. I can’t remember a few of the symbols though, so if I can maybe find a list of similar spells, I can modify it.” She said and tucked the book she was reading under her arm. Laigan pursed her lips and began looking on the lower shelves. She lifted her eyebrows as she pulled out a particularly dusty tome and brushed off the cover.

“The Arcane Folio of Fura…” She muttered and flipped it open, furrowing her brows at the tiny script. While fine, it was crammed together and old, and Laigan felt herself get dizzy.

“While many great spellcasters, learned and gifted alike, have appeared throughout history, it is often difficult to find the source of their magics, greedily hoarded by some, and sometimes impossible to achieve without devotion to a greater being or access to an inborn gift…” she read and Briphi bent down to read over Laigan’s shoulder, her yellow eyes glittering like coins.

“This author is interested in detailing his own skills, in the hopes educating the future generations.” She said and then passed it to Briphi, who flipped through it, eagerness shining in her eyes. Laigan could see some arcane symbols and then Briphi gasped in delight.

“This one! It’s the basic matrix for Leomund’s Hut!” She said and held it close to her chest.

“Basic matrix?” asked Laigan and Briphi nodded.

“All spells start out with a basic matrix. They can be slightly modified and still achieve the same result, but the more complicated the matrix, the harder it is to cast but the benefit is it’s stronger. Naturally, you can modify basic spells to create completely different ones!” She said and continued, Laigan smirking as her tail swished excitedly.

“For instance, Thunderclap and Shocking Grasp will both have the same basic matrix, since they’re both part of the Evocation class, but different runes and channels. Therefore, resulting in a different spell! I can make Cloud of Daggers stronger too, if I include a few additional runes.” She said, then held up a finger. “But! That doesn’t mean everyone can learn every spell. Everyone is good at different kinds of magic, like Fura says. Oh Laigan, thank you for finding this!” She said and Laigan shook her head.

“I was just looking in front of my eyes.” She said, but Briphi shook her head and instead gave a side hug to Laigan.

“Come on! Let’s go look at some jewelry!” She said and Laigan allowed herself to be dragged along, just happy to have made Briphi happy.

As Briphi looked through the random assortment of jewelry, Laigan looked through the clothing, having to settle on the children’s section. She had noticed the main population of Alfield was human, so it would stand to reason the only clothing that would fit her were children’s clothing. Fortunately, they were fairly plain and well kept, and she held a few up to herself in the warped mirror.

“Would this look nice?” she asked and Briphi looked up, a silver ring held in her fingers.

“Hmmm, It might look cute, if it had some trim around it…like where the buttons are, there was some design around them, maybe disguising them as flowers, or seashells…Oh, the sleeve cuffs could have some red lace!” She said and Laigan snorted.

“I don’t need lace! I was just asking if I would look nice in it.” She said and Briphi smirked back.

“You would.” She agreed and Laigan folded it over her arm, continuing through the clothing.

He pulled his lips away from his flute and furrowed his brows, feeling a shiver run up his spine. He looked around and stood up, narrowing his eyes.

Something was wrong, but he just couldn’t tell what.

He gasped and quickly looked down, taking a quick inventory of himself and then looking around his Magnificent Mansion. Everything was still there. He saw a quick blur of black and red and threw out both his hands.

“Stop right there!” He shouted, releasing the spell just as a quick concentrated cyclone of flower petals manifested then disappeared. He scoffed in disbelief as whoever was there was now gone, completely avoiding his Hold Person. He jumped off of his couch and ran out the door.

“They didn’t take anything did they?” prompted Pike and Scanlan shook his head.

“Not that I could see…I still have everything I personally wear.” He said, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Jester giggled as Pike rolled her eyes, a faint smile on her face.

“In all seriousness, they managed to avoid you Holding them?” asked Caleb and Scanlan nodded.

“I don’t know how, but they vanished, using Molly’s sword.” He said and Molly crossed his arms, chewing on his lips.

“I don’t believe this. Do they intend on stealing everything from us? Or are they only targeting a few of us?” asked Beau.

“Well, they took Molly’s sword, so they can like, teleport. And Veth’s mask, so they can disguise themselves…” said Jester.

“But they also took your paintbrush, which only creates things.” Said Vex. “Then again, it can create anything.” She conceded and they all stared down at the floor.

Melhar found Laigan and Briphi exiting the large barn, each carrying a bag and chatting happily. He jogged over and surprisingly both Laigan and Briphi smiled up at him, startling him for a moment.

“Successful trip?” He asked and Briphi nodded.

“I got two books and some jewelry and spell components and Laigan got a new dress.” She said cheerfully, then quickly threw a look that made Melhar feel terrible.

He really hadn’t meant it to come out as bad as it did.

“Well, I asked around, using a few of our tactics, and no one’s seen fucking anyone new. Everybody knows everybody, even the traders, so once again, we’re shit out of luck.” He said and Laigan sighed and patted him on his knee.

“We’ll find her soon…we have too.” She comforted and Melhar smiled, his eyes flicking up to Briphi. What was once a smile on her face was now a frown, and then a look of fear.

“Shit.” She said and frantically looked around; eyes wide.

“How did they get ahead of me?” She asked, dropping her bag and rushing into an alley. Melhar looked behind him to see what she was afraid of and saw a large man power-walking towards where Briphi had disappeared too. Laigan had noticed too, as she had moved to block the entrance.

“Out of my way. I’m only here for Lord Barxes.” He barked out and Melhar furrowed his eyebrows as the large man stared down Laigan. He walked up to the man.

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but that isn’t a ‘lord’. That’s clearly a woman you just scared away.” He said and the large man rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s what his parent’s said he’d tell everyone else. Lord Barxes, your parents are expecting you home!” He shouted, pushing aside Laigan. She yelped as she was pushed against the wall, catching a glimpse of Briphi, who was staring hard at the man her hands readied over her component pouch.

“I’m not going back just so they can have their ’little beastie’ back.” She snarled out; her voice laced with a low growl. The man sighed, looking around at Laigan and then at Melhar, who was holding his hand ready to summon the Squall Render.

“Lord Barxes, please, your parents are worried about you.” He said, calmer this time. She held out her hand, sparks crackling along her fingers.

“No. You can go on back to Hupperdook and tell them _Lady Briphi_ is perfectly fine where she is.” She said, and Melhar watched Laigan ready a spell in her hand. The large man noticed as well and sighed again.

“…Very well, I will deliver the message.” He said, stepping away and backing out of the alley. Melhar watched him walk away, and after he had disappeared, turned back to Briphi, who still had the spell readied in her hand.

“He’s gone Briphi.” Said Melhar, approaching her. She stared at him for a moment before letting the spell drop.

“What was that about? Why was he calling you by a different name?” asked Laigan, looking up at her. Briphi took a deep, shaky breath and leaned against the stone wall.

“That was one of the Grounds Guards my parents employ. Evidently they sent him to retrieve me.” She said and looked down. “It makes sense they would send someone close to the family.” She said.

Laigan chewed on her lips.

“You ran away and changed your identity?” she asked and Melhar knew he was most likely missing another conversation.

“My parents like to think I don’t exist, except when it’s convenient. You know, like at parties so you can show off the “adopted” Tiefling. Another thing they like to think is that…boys shouldn’t grow their hair out long or wear eye shadow...or have breasts.” She said and Laigan furrowed her brows.

Melhar then nodded.

“So, you were born a boy?” he asked. He had remembered a fellow sailor on his ship, a woman, preferred to dress like a man, and went so far as to bind her breasts. Not necessarily strange, but she did get awfully defensive about it.

“Yes…but I went to a wizard and for a mere 3000 gold he fixed me. Or took care of the more obvious bits. It's not perfect.” She said, gesturing to herself and sniffed. Melhar shrugged.

“I’ll admit, you are pretty tall for a lady, with some impressive horns.” He said and Briphi glared at him, but Melhar smiled.

“But I also thought you were one of the prettiest ladies I’ve ever met.” He supplied and she blinked her eyes in surprise, and Laigan nodded her head.

“It’s true.” She agreed and Briphi sniffed again. Laigan hugged her legs and Melhar rubbed his shoulder and instead went to pick up her dropped bag. When she emerged from the alley, he handed it to her and followed them back to the Inn, rubbing his eyes as he sat down.

He watched the girls walk up to their room and began thinking about where the thief could be.

If the tattoo artist was correct, she would be traveling along The Amber Road, and She wasn’t in Alfield. That left three other potential towns with the added possibility she was heading to the coast.

Fjord had told him to keep the token as far away from the coast as possible. So he was sincerely hoping She wasn’t heading there.

He perked up slightly and dug out his map, laying it flat against the table.

“…Kamordah has a volcano…she’s a fire Genasi…she…she could be from there…”He murmured and quickly folded up the map, practically running up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought long and hard about how to write this chapter, and even had one of my brother's friends who is transitioning read it. I hope I expressed her example correctly.


	9. Backtracking

Laigan wasn’t fond of the idea of back tracking, and she wasn’t sure how to break the thought to Briphi, who was currently absorbed in her new book, nodding to herself whenever she came across a familiar passage. Melhar was clutching the rolled up map in his hand, looking at her expectantly and Laigan frowned.

“I…I don’t know if She would be there though. Do you think that’s her home, or her hideout? Or are you going out on a limb?” she asked and Melhar paused before nodding.

“I don’t think she lives in the fucking volcano, But how many people do you know who live _near_ a volcano? No one would bother her there!” He said and Laigan looked down at her luck knot. It didn’t give a response, but she felt like if luck was on her side, like Mollymauk had promised, then the Thief would at least be in the area.

“Okay…I still think we should talk to Briphi, and I want to eat another real meal before leaving.” She said, quirking a smile. Melhar nodded but seemed happy none the less.

Laigan looked over at Briphi, who absentmindedly scratched her cat before turning a page in her new book. Laigan couldn’t make out any of the words, but the wizard seemed completely engrossed in them. She took that as a positive sign, and a change from her mood roughly an hour before.

Yasha never claimed to be good at soothing people. She knew she didn’t come off as very personable but was comforted in the knowledge that her fellow deities knew better.

Especially Molly.

She allowed him to lean against her, his tail twitching in an agitated manner as he shuffled his cards, and each time, he lingered a little on the ‘Strength’ card, which seemed insistent on remaining upside down, no matter how he shuffled, or allowed them to shuffle.

“That’s your little cleric?” she asked quietly, and Molly nodded, sighing.

“Mhmm. She’s still a little nervous.”

“You gave her a big job.” Pointed out Yasha and Molly bit his lip. She cocked her head, waiting for his reply. When he didn’t, she squeezed his shoulder.

“I’m sure she can do it. Fjord said she has a reluctant Warlock with her?”

“Apparently his patron is Avantika. Well, maybe he’ll break it off like Fjord did?” he smirked and Yasha quirked up a smile.

Quite a nasty break up if she remembered correctly.

“Come on. Grog wanted a friendly fight, and I can’t very well turn that down.” She said, standing up. Molly grinned, standing up and stretching. “I heard that Scanlan was riling up Jester about who was going to win.” She said.

Molly rubbed his hands together and led the charge out the door.

“Your storms are lovely, but I think I might just root for an earthquake this time.” He teased. Yasha cracked her knuckles, and She could feel the thunder roiling on the Material Plane.

“Is this really a good time for a fight?” asked Caleb, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Grog looked offended and Scanlan leapt off his shoulders, striding over to Pike and Jester.

“There is always time for a fight and a drink.” He said and cracked his neck. Molly slung an arm over Caleb’s shoulder and Caleb sighed, shrugging him off and walking away.

“Nooo Caaaleeeb! You have to help me root for Yasha! Scanlan thinks Grog’s gonna win!” Jester whined.

“I’m going to visit Nott. Yeza mentioned that she’s buried herself in her treasure hoard.” Caleb replied. Jester tugged on his coat and pouted, and Caleb turned to look at her, her violet eyes twinkling.

“Pleeease….just for a little…” She said and then looked around conspiratorially. “We all know Scanlan is going to cheat! Just make Yasha suuuuppper fast!” She whispered.

“I thought this was going to be a friendly fight?” he asked, raising an eyebrow with a small smile. Scanlan smirked in response and Grog took Yasha’s hand, a firm handshake starting the fighting. Caleb watched Scanlan put his hand on his chest and raise his other dramatically and Caleb smiled.

“Alright, but only because you asked.” He whispered back, receiving a gleeful smile in response as he took a small bite of the divine licorice root Caduceus grew for him.

After one more night at the Inn, they ate breakfast and mounted their horses, hitting the road towards Kamordah. After a hard ride, trying not to push the horses too hard, they found a comfortable spot to camp, and as Laigan built up a fire, Briphi excitedly cast a new spell.

“I knew it would work! Look! No holes in the shield, no flickering!” She shouted, from within a brown dome set up beside a rock. Laigan gasped and walked around the dome, poking it and frowning.

“Sorry Briphi, but its not…solid…” She said quietly and Melhar watched Laigan be pulled into it.

“Only my friends can enter it!” She said and stuck her hand out of the dome, gesturing at Melhar. He blinked in surprise but cleared his throat.

“I’m actually going to go to the bathroom and collect more firewood while I’m at it. I’ll be back.” He said and could feel the pout coming from Laigan. He walked towards the tall grass, finding a spot where it came up to his waist and then sat down, crossing his legs and concentrating.

Melhar thought he would try what Laigan did every morning, whispering to herself, asking her God for whatever spells she needed that day. She always talked to Briphi about whatever The Destiny Reader had told her in a dream, when he did appear and Melhar listened with interest, wondering what that was like.

To be able to talk to a God that wasn’t trying to kill him for pulling out of a deal that he hadn’t read the fine print of. Or had already done most of the job for.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath like Laigan always did and tried to focus on the image that Fjord had chosen to appear as.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, until he smelt seawater. The salt smell was unmistakable, and he repressed the surge of bile creeping up his throat, reminding himself that he was trying to contact Fjord, Not The Three Eyed Lady.

Instead of long slender fingers with claws digging into his arm, it was a strong, friendly grip. The smell of the ocean wasn’t tainted with the smell of blood, but with fish pulled in from nets. There wasn’t the sound of mocking laughter, but the friendly comradery of anonymous voices and gulls.

“Please tell me I’m doing the right thing.” He whispered and he heard a chuckle in his head.

“ _Do you think you’re doing the right thing?_ ” asked a rough man’s voice, sounding rough from years doing hard labor.

“I hope so. I…I want to help Laigan. I want to be rid of this damn thing.” He said gesturing wildly with his hands.

“ _I told you It’s not simple to get rid of it. But are you only helping them in the hopes to get rid of it, or are you helping them to remedy the damage that has been done?_ ” he asked, now a younger sounding voice, almost childlike, despite the sharp question that ran through Melhar’s mind.

“I…”

“ _Are you using them? Or do you want to help them?_ ” he clarified, a deep rumbling voice.

“I’m doing what you told me to do!…Can’t the end justify the means? If helping them helps the World, shouldn’t I get something in exchange?” he asked, nervousness settling in his gut and Fjord laughed.

_“I’m afraid the world doesn’t work that way. The world doesn’t revolve around rewarding others. It’s…cause and effect. Certainly, returning the artifacts that balance the World would have a great effect._ ” He said, and Melhar frowned, growing frustrated.

Fjord was just talking circles around him. Refusing to tell him what he had to do. At least Avantika’s few words she spoke had clear meanings. After a tense moment the phantom grip gave a brief squeeze before releasing, a sigh resonating through him.

_“I warned you she has a strong grip on you. I can tell you’re trying. Leave behind the selfishness and we will speak again._ ” He said, and finally was gone, the smell of saltwater gone with the wind and leaving Melhar with the chill evening air.

Briphi smiled as Melhar raised two bowls for them filled with stew for them, entering the dome and handing them out before returning for his. He paused and stared into the fire, then blinked and shook his head, returning into the dome with his stew. They all devoured their meal, and She watched the horses graze around the tree they were tied to.

She turned then as she heard a harsh cough come from beside her, and watched Melhar double over and then crawl out of the dome, hacking into his hand, the other clutching his stomach.

“Melhar! Are you okay?! Did you choke?” exclaimed Laigan and rushed out of the dome. He waved a hand dismissively, then coughed again, and Briphi wrinkled her nose and recoiled as something fell out of his palm and onto the ground.

Her eyes widened as the small fish that had apparently been coughed up flopped around on the ground until it went still. Laigan was trying to get Melhar to uncover his mouth, but more water and another small live fish left his mouth. A flash of gold surrounded her palm and she pressed her hand to his chest, but it dissipated immediately, and she gasped.

It wasn’t an injury then.

Melhar stopped coughing, taking in a deep breath and wiping his mouth, spitting out some blood and saliva. He avoided the look of the two girls, until Laigan grasped his face with her two small hands.

“Melhar, what was that? We didn’t have fish. Why were you coughing up…whole fish?” she asked, looking at him with curiosity and Briphi looked hard at him, expectantly awaiting an answer, even though she knew Melhar couldn’t see her. Helpfully though, Laigan tugged him back into their dome and sat him down.

“…I don’t suppose if I say it was fucking nothing, you would believe me?” he asked, and both Laigan and Briphi frowned. He sighed and looked at Briphi, chewing his lip before tearing off both his riding gloves.

A large glowing orb seemed to be embedded in his left palm, golden in the sun. It resembled an eye and Briphi felt like if she waited long enough, it might blink.

“I…I pissed off the original owner of this. I was supposed to return it for a “reward”, but instead rode off with it, and asked The Lord of Many Faces to…fix my mistake.” He said, rubbing the orb. Briphi furrowed her brows.

“Who were you supposed to return it to? Why is it inside of your hand?” She asked and Melhar was quiet for a long moment.

“The reason I went to Fjord was because The Gods were the ones who sealed her away. It belongs to The Three Eyed Lady.” He said and Briphi recoiled in shock as he continued.

“I found it a year or so ago, and an unfortunate soul protecting another, and yet another below the ocean.” He said, laughing.

“When I first saw her, she was fucking blind! Now she wants her third eye and I’ve had enough of her bullshit.” He said and pulled his gloves back on.

“So you asked Fjord and he told you to come find us?” asked Laigan and he nodded.

“He told me to get it away from the ocean, and that whatever you were doing could use an extra person.” He said and Briphi detected a hint of bitterness in his tone. Laigan smiled sadly. Melhar looked away, holding his left hand and Briphi scooted closer, gingerly touching his arm. He looked up in surprise.

That’s why he was hiding it. It was definitely a secret, but it was also something he hated, and was ashamed of.

“But you are trying to change it…right?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Then it’s ok.” She said and hoped her real message came across.

_I’m sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the short chapter, but there wasn't a way for me to really push through seamlessly into the next one. So next chapter should be out soon, and there will be a bit of a timeskip (just travel time)!


	10. Infiltration and Intervention

“I think we should skirt around the town as we head towards the volcano. Better to avoid any gossip that She might hear of.” Suggested Briphi as Kamordah became visible on the horizon, far off vineyards dotting the landscape. Both Melhar and Laigan nodded in agreement, and eventually found a small path that led up the hillside towards a surprisingly verdant mountain top. The evidence of the volcanic soil almost overshadowed the looming volcano, and Laigan gulped hard as they looked for any sign of a cave or small building that might be the perfect cover for a thief.

After following the narrow path, they dismounted and Laigan held up her hands quickly.

“Hold on. Let me try something.” She whispered and reached into her pockets, covering them in ash and pointing at Melhar and then Briphi, whispering to herself. She smiled and wiped her hands off on her armor.

“Alright we can go now.”

“What was that?” asked Melhar.

“I cast a spell that Mollymauk gave me! It’ll make us extra sneaky.” She said and Briphi smiled and resumed searching for an entrance.

The mountainous terrain itself was difficult to traverse, they had left the comfortable looking and thriving shrubbery behind, and Laigan watched with concern as Melhar scrambled over rocks, looking thoroughly.

Briphi held up her hand after another few minutes and gestured for them to follow, pointing at a suspicious looking stone, sticking straight out from the rock, almost like a candlestick. Laigan frowned and gingerly approached it.

“Do you think this is it?”

“Don’t touch it, let me look.” Offered Melhar and he stepped up beside her and stared hard at it from various angles.

“I think this is it. It should be safe to pull.” He said and tugged down on it, grinning as another part of the rock shifted. Briphi smiled too, crossing her arms and began to follow the two down the stairs carved into the rock.

“I wonder how long it took to make this…” wondered Laigan and Melhar shrugged.

“Who knows? I’ve been lot’s of places. All pretty old though, I know that a lot of the fucking traps still worked though.” He warned and ran his hand along the wall, roughly inspecting it.

Briphi couldn’t help but feel on edge. It was an obvious reaction, and she imagined Laigan was even more so, but they hadn’t even reached a room yet and Briphi felt unnerved.

Melhar seemed to be on the lookout for traps, leading the charge, and Laigan stood behind him, clutching her holy symbol. Briphi meanwhile, did her best to figure out why she in particular was on edge.

It wasn’t the heat that grew the deeper they descended. Heat had rarely bothered her, one of the perks to being a Tiefling, she supposed.

She furrowed her brow and slowed her footsteps, causing Laigan to stop too.

“What’s wrong? Did you hear something?” she asked and Briphi shook her head.

“No…I’m just wondering…why is their hideout so deep? We haven’t come across a single room yet. This stairway is barren.” She whispered.

“Maybe we just found the backway?” provided Melhar and Briphi nodded slowly.

That was probably it.

Melhar smiled and crouched down as he saw the faint shimmer of gold and led them into a small room filled with a random assortment of jewels, gold and other objects strewn about. The chamber wall on the opposite end was adorned with a single banner, a light green with blue embroidery that shimmered unnaturally.

“Messy one.” Remarked Melhar, and Laigan sucked in a breath, putting her finger to her lips.

“I only have 45 minutes left on the spell. We have to be very quiet.” She warned and Melhar clamped his mouth shut, heading towards the other entrance, trying to avoid stepping on any gold.

He poked his head into the next room, finding an equally filled room, but this one more organized.

It had shelves, nearly overflowing with trinkets and valuables. There were shelves seemingly dedicated to collectors’ items, with carved stone animals or jars with matching filigree. Books were behind locked cases, and Melhar figured those were trapped, shooting a look at Briphi who’s golden eyes were trained on the case closest to her. He shook his head and she frowned, her tail thrashing.

“Should we look for them?” he whispered and Laigan bit her lip.

“They’re pretty valuable. If they aren’t under lock and key, they’re on her person.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Replied Briphi and walked around the room, glancing at the bookcases quickly before inspecting the other shelves.

After maybe ten minutes, they decided to head down the winding hallway and into the next room.

This one was just as chaotic as the first, mounds of treasure, gold and jewels crowded the floor. Magical tapestries hung on the walls or were rolled up in the gold piles.

It would be nearly impossible to cross without making any noise.

Laigan however, scooted past him, stepping carefully onto a tiny part of exposed floor, and paused before finding another spot.

“Laigan! Get back here.” Hissed Melhar, but she ignored him. He looked back helplessly back at Briphi, who bit her lip and gingerly followed Laigan’s lead, using her tail as a counterbalance. Melhar huffed and followed after them.

She had reached the middle of the room now, with three branching halls, the treasure spilling out into each of them. She took a deep breath, looking behind her as Briphi had stopped, waiting for her next lead and then her heart skipped a beat, and she put her hands to her mouth. Melhar quirked up an eyebrow and Laigan pointed to his left, her hand quaking.

How had she missed that?

A small red snout poked up from a gold pile, nostrils flaring steadily and Laigan tried to follow any clue to how big the creature was. She could see a few horns poking up from the gold same pile and Melhar waved his hands, ushering her forward.

Just then, She whipped her head to the second hallway, where a voice was coming from.

“Fuck.” Cursed Melhar and immediately fell to the ground. Briphi looked frantically before following suit and Laigan froze before being tugged down by Briphi, who clamped her hand over her mouth.

Briphi waited with her heart in her throat, staring at the ceiling and hoping somehow that her red skin would be confused for the dragon in the room.

“Brimmit, I’ve got dinner.” Said a female voice, and Briphi flickered her eyes towards the voice. She couldn’t see the owner, but she felt nausea begin to overwhelm her.

She figured out why the was so wary.

She felt the gold shift and a deep breath that was followed by a low growl before presumably Brimmit answered.

“I thought you already delivered it Kilna…” he said, and snorted, and Briphi closed her eyes tightly.

“Already…? What do you…?” She asked but then She heard the slide of a blade.

“The cow can be dessert then…let me prepare them for you.” Said Kilna and Briphi jumped up, grabbing Laigan with her. Melhar was already up, running towards the way they had come, and Briphi felt the wind of a golden scimitar on her back.

Laigan risked a glance at the woman chasing them as she was carried by Briphi and couldn’t tell whether to be relieved or frightened.

They had found her.

She was indeed a fire Genasi woman, with bright red hair that was held up in a simple ponytail. It seemed to even move like fire as it trailed behind her. Cracks ran across her cheeks, glowing like lava ran beneath her skin.

She was naturally very terrified too.

The sunlight was jarring, and she blinked rapidly as Briphi set her down beside Melhar who was now rushing over the uneven rocks, towards more even terrain to the rear of the volcano. Laigan heard the Thief, apparently named Kilna, curse as an arrow whizzed past Melhar as she drew it back once more, shifting her aim towards Briphi.

Laigan looked at her pam tattoo quickly, hoping it would give any indication that Mollymauk would show up. When it didn’t she clutched the peacock symbol on her armor as she followed Melhar and Briphi towards more even ground.

“Come on, come on.” She hissed under her breath.

“I didn’t realize Clerics were such cowards!” taunted Kilna and Laigan turned around, seeing Kilna grin.

“One in service to The Nonagon, I see. Interesting.”

Laigan frowned.

Briphi took a deep breath and traced a symbol in the air, leaving behind a glowing image, and allowed the protective shield to surround her. She then turned towards Kilna, who had a fierce almost sickening smile on her face as she took in her opponents.

She really hoped They could handle her, with her dragon none the wiser.

Briphi moved ahead towards the thief, outstretching her hands and training them on Her. From the corner of her eye, she watched Melhar summon a sword out of thin air, the orb on his palm shining brightly through his leather glove. Water flecked onto the ground and he rushed Kilna, slashing her. Kilna hissed in pain and stepped back, quickly retaliating with Summer’s Dance, it’s gold blade blinding in the sun. Melhar sidestepped it, but She quickly recovered, and continued to move towards Laigan.

“I’ll hang your armor up on my wall!” She shouted and then cried out as Melhar took another slash at her. Her blood seemed to boil on the ground, quickly evaporating and leaving behind a burnt iron smell.

Laigan held out a piece of paper and a shield shimmered over her, and Briphi smiled, then winced as She outstretched her hand and caught Kilna’s arm as she approached, and a sickening green light pulsed from her hand. Kilna recoiled back, clutching her sword arm that was now bleeding with black ooze from the Inflict Wounds. Briphi bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, confident in her aim as she released the magic missiles, watching as each one hit their target, pummeling Kilna in the chest.

Melhar ran towards Kilna, flanking her, before swiping. What would have been a sure hit, to bring down the thief she managed to dodge, and he hit her shoulder instead. With burning eyes she grabbed his wrist and gripped it tightly. He yelped out as it began to burn, and he watched her swiftly disarm him, taking his sword in her other hand.

“Thanks for the sword.” She grinned, and as she turned around was met with a large spectral mace straight to her face. She gasped and Melhar swore he could see her eyes roll. She sucked in a breath and managed to sidestep a sacred flame Laigan had cast with one hand, the other preoccupied with the spiritual weapon.

He turned quickly as he watched Briphi disappear from view, reappearing on the other side of Kilna beside Melhar, and shoot a knife made of ice from her hand. It landed in her shoulder, and He watched as the hot blood running through her veins melted the magical ice. Kilna narrowed her eyes at the young wizard and before she could react, Melhar grabbed the shoulder closest to him and…

And nothing.

He wanted to freeze her, wanted to cool the literal heat in her eyes.

_“Thanks for the sword.”_

He frantically looked around, his heart speeding up, and gulped.

He couldn’t run, he had to help them. He felt one of Kilna’s swords in his back as he ran towards Laigan, concern in her eyes.

Kilna seemed intent on attacking the cleric, however, as she swiped with Summer’s Dance at Laigan, managing to only get her arm. As Laigan held up her arm, Kilna ducked and in a swift motion, managed to pull out a potion from her side pouch and drink it, while still holding two blades.

She cast it to the ground and licked her lips as wounds closed up, leaving only the spilt blood. Laigan screwed up her face and swung her spiritual weapon, making Kilna stumble back and Melhar smirked a bit as a bright flash of light struck Kilna before she could react. It left a glowing spot where it had struck and Kilna glared back, stepping down on the bottle as she approached.

Laigan watched three missiles crash into Kilna body and gulped when Kilna kept her gaze trained on Laigan.

“Poor, stupid little cleric….” She growled out and as Melhar moved in front of her, cried out in pain as Kilna, in a quick, swift motion, slashed at him with his own sword. He fell to his knees and Laigan backed up as Melhar’s arm fell behind Kilna. In almost an instant, his sword evaporated into thin air. She shrugged, then took two swipes at Laigan. She cried out as her warm blood splattered against Kilna’s grinning face and fell to the ground, gasping as Kilna stepped on her chest.

“You should have just come alone.” She said. Laigan furrowed her brows and watched as She pulled up the porcelain doll mask and watched it stick to her face. When Kilna blinked, she disappeared and left a flurry of flower petals on Laigan’s chest. Laigan clutched the massive wound on her chest.

“Where did she-?” asked Briphi before gasping in pain as blood spurt from both her hands. Briphi fell to the ground and Laigan watched her face be driven down hard, her horns catching stones. Kilna appeared above Briphi and smirked.

Melhar crawled over to Laigan and She felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched blood pour out from his elbow in thick spurts. She gulped and held out her arm, changing the object of her healing spell but yelped as she felt a kick to her stomach and was surprisingly punted over six feet away.

“No one takes my treasures, and no one leaves my house alive.” Said Kilna, evidently beside Melhar now. She stepped on his chest and drove Summer’s Dance into his chest.

“No!” cried out Laigan and Kilna tutted as she withdrew the sword. Melhar gave a weak cough, but even from her distance could see the blood cast into the air as he wheezed.

“Oh yes. I’m no different from the God you claim to worship.” She sneered. Laigan furrowed her brow in confusion and Kilna raised her eyebrow in response.

“What you fail to realize is you all are just pawns! You tiny girl, are just a pawn of The Nonagon. The Masked Matron couldn’t stop me, what makes you think your forgetful master can?!” She laughed, gesturing around her and Laigan glared.

Mollymauk wasn’t like that.

Kilna just smirked back, the fiery cracks along her cheeks flaring up.

“Did I strike a nerve? Do you not like hearing their Old Names? People like to forget about The Ash King and the Orphan Maker. They like to forget about The Nonagon, because no one likes to remember the past, isn’t that right? The Gods weren’t always so benevolent.” She sneered, taking a step forward towards Laigan, she picked her up by the collar of her shirt.

“Why the grudge? What exactly did they do to you then?” choked out Laigan, struggling to breathe and Kilna laughed again.

“Not a damn thing. I just needed to prove something. The Gods are fallible. They can be stolen from. They hide away behind their gate, hoarding their treasure and use us mortals to do their bidding while we forget how evil they were. Cowards.” She said and threw her to the ground, looking at her other companions.

She clutched her emblem as Melhar managed to roll over to his stomach and struggled to get up to no avail. She could feel the gash running through it, but she hoped it would still work.

“Please… Just answer…We’ve found them..” She begged, watching as Melhar collapsed again to the ground, Kilna idly flicking his blood from the sword and onto the ground. Briphi was holding her pierced hands to her chest, limping slowly away from Kilna with tiny bits of gravel and grass fall from her face and hair, her eyes trained on her. Laigan looked up to the clouded sky.

“Please damn it! I’m not strong enough for this shit!” She yelled to the heavens, a sob leaving her throat. Kilna looked back and shook her head.

She wasn’t strong, Briphi and Melhar were stronger than her, and Kilna had all but killed them. Melhar wouldn’t last long. They were haggard looking and pale, coated in dirt, blood and sweat and Laigan couldn’t even stand up to heal them. Her head throbbed and she desperately wanted to close her eyes or be in an Inn drinking with her friends.

A warmth came over her as her tattoo pulsed and a clash of colors materialized beside her.

He didn’t appear the way Laigan had ever interacted with him, humanoid, with a kind smile and mischief hidden behind his eyes. Laigan gulped, trying to distance herself from the entity that had apparated beside her, but she was unable to move.

He was enormous, easily twenty feet tall with a flowing rainbow coat. His eyes were an intense red, and Laigan could see the eyes on the peacock tattoos pulsed angrily and then blink, as if they were alive. Then they curled away from his face, the quills sprouting from his neck. His horns curled into dangerously sharpened tips, decorated in silver and gold that produced their own blinding light and made Briphi and Melhar shrink back as his tail peeked out from under his coat, ridged with spines and a sharpened spade.

“You are quite strong, Darling. I wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t.” He said. His voice was disconcertingly laced with a low growl. Like when Briphi spoke in Infernal. It seemed to come from several directions as well and Laigan gulped. That jovial God that Laigan knew was gone.

The Destiny Reader. Mollymauk.

Or perhaps this was The Nonagon, like Kilna had said.

Kilna stepped back, shielding her eyes from the brilliant light. Heady incense billowed off of his body as he reached out with long claws capped in gold and gripped Kilna tightly. She gasped and began to struggle, dropping Summer’s Dance, which vanished in a bright flurry of blue, purple and pink flower petals.

“You will be coming with me…” He said and looked at the weak party around them, Kilna continuing to struggle against his unmoving grip, his gaze settling on Laigan.

“Thank you…” He said.

“…What will happen to her?” asked Briphi, cradling her hand. He cocked his head at the young Tiefling.

“Don’t worry about her…I’ve got to be going, The All Maker didn’t give me much time to dally.” He said and they winced as a gust of cold air, assaulting their noses with a strong smell of ,surprisingly, iron mixed with flowers, and Kilna’s scream was torn from this plane.

Laigan took in a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, or perhaps she wasn’t the one holding it. She rolled over onto her back, sucking in as much air as she could with every breath. She slicked back her hair, then paused, staring at her palm.

The tattoo he had given her was gone.

She instantly sat up and frantically cast Sacred Flame, watching a purple flame shoot from her hand and strike the ground. She laughed, surprisingly relieved.

She blinked a few times before a knot twisted itself deep into her stomach. The Nonagon, now in a more humanoid shape, walked away, with the mask, The Divine Paintbrush and Summer’s Dance in his hand, apparently having plucked them during the instantaneous travel. Kilna gulped, watching him hand the items to comparatively sized individuals.

A blue woman with horns, with starlight sparkling across her face like freckles and a green woman with sharp teeth accepted the items. The knot tied itself deeper into her stomach and bile rose to her throat as the space around her began to shift.

Fire erupted to the left. A man with flames licking up his coat and striking blue eyes that bored into her soul emerged. His hands were visibly charred, and resting on his shoulder was a cat, just as brightly orange as it’s master with glowing blue eyes. The cat seemed to blink in an out, still perched on it’s master’s shoulders. Caleb and Frumpkin.

Various plant life grew then wilted. From the decomposing plant matter grew a man with bovine features and brilliant pink hair, an almost an impassive look on his face. When he gazed at her, his rose colored eyes flashed to a solid black, then back again, a small smile quirking on his face. Fungus grew from his armor that resembled a beetle carcass, beside lichen just as bright as his hair. Caduceus.

A lightning strike. A muscular woman in black and white manifested from the smoking ground, glaring hard at her with eyes that reflected storms. Her fists crackled with lightning that traveled along the rest of her, casting deep shadows across her already black and white ensemble. Dark storm clouds painted her forehead and eyelids, constantly moving. Yasha.

A geyser of water that smelled like the sea. A green man with a shock of white in his hair and barnacles crusting over his armor appeared as the water cascaded over him. Large and sharpened tusks poked out from his mouth, and the scars on his face glowed a faint light. Fjord.

A bright flash of blue and white. A woman with dark skin and a quarterstaff stepped out, arms crossed with shining golden bracers and shaking her head. Scars crisscrossed her body, they too, glowing. Beauregard.

A cyclone of leaves, lightning, and fire manifested itself. Stepping out was a woman with antlers growing from her own skull and decorated in flowers, with hair the color of autumn leaves. Colorful Insects buzzed around her head, settling on her shoulders. Keyleth.

A rock that erupted from the ground, suddenly forming into a hulking goliath of a man, tattooed, scarred and crossing his arms as well. His eyes looked almost red when he turned his full attention to her. Grog.

A black flurry of feathers, and a man in black armor with bony spines as white as the winter snow emerging from one of the shoulder pieces. The mask he wore was elegantly shaped like a raven, with an obsidian crown upon his head. Silver Daggers hung from his waist, the only semblance of color he wore. Vax’ildan.

A similar flurry of feathers, these blue and more subdued, as a woman in leather armor and a fur cloak stepped out, followed by an enormous grizzly bear. The blue feathers were interwoven in her hair, but seemed to ruffle on their own, while the bow on her back shimmered. Vex’ahlia and her companion, Trinket.

A bright light that temporarily blinded Kilna flashed, and out stepped a fully armored woman, with striking white hair and a shining scar over one eye. The gold, silver and blue of her armor flashed independently in rotation, each as blinding as the last. Bright Golden wings sprouted from her back as she looked at Kilna. Pike.

A purple hand emerged from the ground, and deposited a man in a mostly purple ensemble, flipping the flute She had tried to steal. Kilna could hear faint music coming from his direction, filling her ears with a cacophony of sounds that filled her with so many emotions that it was all she could do to stand instead of crumpling to the ground. Scanlan.

Finally, in a burst of a black powder, a man in blue with bright white hair manifested, a few weapons at his side. Smoke curled off his shoulders and one side of his face, seemingly deterred however by his glasses. Still, something black dusted the otherwise pristine coat he wore. Percival.

He looked sternly at Kilna. Thrones appeared behind them, and they each took a seat. The green goblin woman put her mask back on, and transformed into a plump woman with braids, decorated in buttons, semi-precious jewels and metals all draping her body in a random way, gleaming. She focused a fear inducing look full of righteous fury on Kilna. The Masked Matron, Transformed from Nott to Veth. Mollymauk sat beside her, as did The Jester.

“Kilna Firebrand. You have managed to gain an audience with nearly every God in the universe. Congratulations.” Said Percy and through his cool demeanor Kilna felt his rage. She could feel and see the varying forms of anger, despite the known benevolences of each deity in this time.

Then again, Kilna knew they each had limits to their courtesy. History told that much, and she was sure she would see a part of it.

Yasha had lightning crackling around her, the smell of ozone mingling with the smoke coming from Caleb. Fjord tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne.

“Tell us, do you believe stealing from the Gods is funny?” he asked, his voice a low drawl, before changing to something resembling Percival’s. “Do you know how much damage you have caused?” he asked. Veth stood up, and dozens of small coins appeared, flowing from her hand and onto the ground. Kilna watched as several flowers suddenly bloomed around Caduceus, creating a garden around him. In turn, each God displayed some form of light, growth or something to quantify some sort of ‘damage’ she had done.

“Still borns and mothers.” Veth said, the coins on the ground vanishing. Fjord’s lights went out.

“Orphans, who Veth or I couldn’t reach.” He said, growling out the words, and Kilna gulped. She looked at Mollymauk, who held up tarot cards that quickly disappeared.

“A few of my clerics and paladins, who went without a Channel Divinity…”He said, and his crimson eyes bored into her.

“Your greed cannot go unpunished.” Hissed out Yasha and Grog nodded, the arm of his throne cracking from his grip.

“…What are you going to do?...” asked Kilna, trying to keep her voice steady. Vex raised an eyebrow and Trinket growled beside her, his hackles raising, and teeth bared.

“What do you think we’re going to do to you?” She asked, her voice as dangerously calm as her husbands as She leaned forward. Kilna found the words catch in her throat, unable to speak up to the enormous presences the Deities exhibited. They all stared down at her expectantly, their eyes boring deep into her soul.

She opened her mouth and a tiny squeak left her throat.

“Should we tear your soul from your body, and seal it under the ocean?” asked Fjord, sitting up straight.

“Carve you apart, we can save your arm.” Suggested Vax’ildan, and his black wings flexed.

“I think we should fill you with arrows and let your blood boil in the sun.” sneered Vex’ahlia.

Kilna quickly realized with each suggestion that they were listing ways they had banished the betrayer Gods or their subjects.

Cleaved and skinned, like the Terrible Kevdak.

Banished to realms unknown, like the Pretender, Vecna.

Burn her until only dust remained, like The Iron Shepard, Lorenzo.

“…you won’t really waste your time on a tiny mortal like me?...” She said, batting her eyes. Keyleth leaned forward.

“There seems to be a…misunderstanding. You have stolen from the Gods, restricting us from doing our sworn duties to protect and balance your world… That reckless greed cannot be reversed.” She said. Kilna swore she saw images of four different beasts or animals flicker over Keyleth’s form before it returned to normal.

“The All maker has spoken.” Said Scanlan, and Kilna furrowed her brows, feeling tears prick her eyes. Mollymauk had mentioned The All maker being involved.

There was a terrible sense of pride and fear with that revelation. The Gods had to get a primordial being more powerful than the Universe itself to bring Kilna here. At the same time, that meant They had ideas of their own.

“What did they say?” she asked quietly.

She didn’t like the looks on any of their faces. They were grim, no sign of empathy to be found.

“How do you want to do this?” they replied in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the chapters taking so long, retail hours during the holidays are awful! Anyway, now it's up, so I hope you enjoyed it!


	11. We all end up in The Garden

Melhar stared at the table, where his forearm would be resting, if he had one anymore. He couldn’t sleep, unlike Laigan, who was passed out in the rented Inn room in Kamordah. He couldn’t deny he was impressed by her ability to fall asleep on command.

“…I’m sorry…”Briphi muttered suddenly from across the table, holding two beverages in her hand and Melhar flickered his eyes up to her. She didn’t seem to be looking at him, almost pouting as she stared at the corner before finally sitting down and very carefully sliding some wine over to him.

He had never been fond of wine, but the Innkeep practically shoved it at them.

“It’s ok. You don’t need to apologize like Laigan did….fucking over and over and over…” he said with a dry chuckle. She had managed to close the wound, and then put a meager amount of healing into herself. Briphi had managed to convince her to just bandage her hands and heal her in the morning. 

“What are you going to do now?” she asked after another tense moment and Melhar sighed, looking down at the still bandaged stump. There was no pain, but it would definitely take another healing spell before it would completely heal over.

He honestly didn’t know. He could return home, find a simple job.

Then again, that would be boring, so very boring. Maybe he could join the crew of any ship that would have him.

“What about you?” He asked instead and she sipped her wine and contemplated her glass.

“I’m not going home yet. Hupperduke’s library’s aren’t the greatest for spell research, and my parents…They can wait a little longer, I think. Maybe when Laigan decides to go back, I’ll follow suit.” She suggested and shrugged.

“What sort of spells are you researching anyway?” he asked and Briphi chuckled.

“I like Conjuration magic. Making things out of thin air, or summoning creatures from other planes? It’s always fascinated me. I’ve even read about Conjuration masters being able to travel to other realms of existence.” She said with a glimmer in her golden eyes.

After another long silence, Melhar drained his wine and stood up.

“Well, I’m going to try to sleep. Goodnight Briphi.” He said.

“Goodnight.” She replied and almost seemed to give a small smile.

Melhar frowned as he lay in bed and held up his right hand, willing a spell to appear. His heart jumped into his throat as small sparks of multiple colors flew from his hand to fizzle harmlessly in the air. He shot up straight and attempted to cast another spell. The one that had failed to work on Kilna.

But it didn’t come.

He sat for a moment and sighed.

“Only cantrips then?” He asked to the empty room, laying back down and closed his eyes tight, slowly feeling sleep take him.

She found herself sitting in a grand tent, the sides draped with colorful banners and curtains. An intricately carved center pole was roughly twenty feet from her, and leaning against it was The Destiny Reader.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked and Laigan huffed and stood up, walking up to him. He smirked and She noticed he had both swords at his side, each gleaming brightly in the dim but twinkling tent. The dangerous and intimidating visage he had appeared as earlier that day was long gone.

His red eyes twinkled mischievously, his horns were back to their gentle curve, and his tattoos were laid calmly on his skin, the eyes on the peacock feathers unmoving.

He seemed to notice her staring, because he sighed and reclined in the air.

“It was all for flair, Darling. I prefer not to show that side of me.” He said and Laigan furrowed her brows.

“So what Kilna said is true?" She asked and Molly clucked his tongue.

“There is always a kernel of truth in Myths and Legends. What you make of them is up to you.” He said.

“What is the truth though? You know I’m terrible at this cleric job. I hardly ever visited a temple before!” She said and this time Molly smiled.

“That’s the brilliant thing though, about stories…tell me how much you know…how much you really know, about me.” He said and eagerly looked at her. Laigan furrowed her brow and looked down at the ground.

“…I know that you’re the patron of bachelors and bachelorettes…and entertainment-“ She began and Molly waved his hand, shaking his head.

“My dominion doesn’t matter. What do you know about me? How was I born? How did The Allmaker create me?” He asked and Laigan chewed her lip, looking down in concentration.

She didn’t know. She racked her brain, thinking hard.

Her sister had said that He was born after Scanlan created music, born from music and entertainment itself.

She had also heard that he crawled up from the earth itself, displaying the devilish side that Tieflings would later acquire. 

She looked up at him, meeting his expectant eyes.

“I…I don’t know. I just know your domain.” She said and he winked.

“Precisely Dear. I like it that way. Welcome to the Trickery Domain. I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out sooner. The trick is knowing that a past doesn’t really matter. It’s what you do with your present. I do enjoy some debauchery; I don’t deny that. It’s bloody good fun. But above all else, I believe in second chances. Who gives a shit about what you did ten, fifteen or 800 years ago? Are you still doing them?” He asked.

Laigan continued to stare at him until Mollymauk stood up and patted her on the back.

“For your troubles Dear. I think it’s about time for you to wake up now, eh?” he asked and Laigan opened her mouth, but he was gone.

Laigan blinked her eyes open and felt the fading touch of Mollymauk’s hand on her back, before curling up deeper into the blankets and rolling over to face where Briphi lay. She had Mir stretched across her lap, with a spell book laying open on her chest. Her gaze lingered on her horn, chipped from the battle with Kilna the day before, as well as her bandaged hands where Kilna had stabbed them. She was sure Briphi would find some way to disguise it, probably with jewelry. Laigan reached over and cast Cure Wounds on her hands, and Briphi mumbled, but didn’t wake up.

She quietly climbed out of bed and changed, stepping out to knock on Melhar’s door, surprisingly, he answered, holding a dagger in one hand.

“Oh, good Morning.” He said, tossing the dagger to his bed.

“Good Morning to you too. I came to heal the rest of your arm.” She said, and he smiled sadly as he let her in. He unwrapped the bandage and she held the stump, her heart aching at the angry red wound that slowly began to close up more and more, fading to his dark complexion. The scar resembled a warped star, when she thought about it, and she held it for a little bit longer before he moved it out of her grasp.

She looked back at the dagger.

“What were you doing with the dagger?” she asked, and Melhar seemed almost bashful.

“I uh…I thought I’m gonna need to get used to only having one hand. I was always right hand dominant, but I’m going to need to get better at it.” He said. “I don’t want to be completely fucking useless.” He said and picked the dagger back up. Laigan thought about protesting, but she could see the pain in his eyes.

“Hey, so I was thinking about doing something stupid, if you’d like to come with?” she offered and he raised an eyebrow.

“That dragon hoard? There was a lot of money just spilling out into that first room. There’s probably some magic weapons or scrolls. If we’re careful, we can avoid the dragon.” She said and Melhar chuckled.

“When did you get so courageous?”

“…I don’t know. Last night, maybe? I think, I think I was really afraid of having that task put on my shoulders and messing it up. But I don’t have to worry about it anymore.” She said and he looked at the cleric, who was smiling to herself.

“You know, I agree with Mollymauk. You were already pretty strong.” He said, clapping his hand on her back. She blushed.

“It’s true. I’ll let you in on a secret. I was fucking terrified. I wanted to run away so bad. We weren’t outnumbered but we were definitely outmatched. But I was so afraid of fucking up helping you that I wouldn’t get what I wanted…” He said and looked down at his arm.

“Let’s wake up Briphi and eat, then talk about some treasure hunting.” He said and Laigan smiled.

Veth watched the trio dig through the entry way of Kilna’s hideout, where some of the Dragon Hoard spilled out. She found herself smiling as they held up jewels and passed them around, and the Tiefling triumphantly held up a scroll, and the human man high fived her. Veth waved her hand and tucked a piece of armor into a gold pile, near the human. He would see it in a moment.

“Helping out a warlock?” piped up Pike, from behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

“Not anymore, Avantika’s token is…well I don’t know where it is, but Kilna lopped off his arm. He doesn’t have it anymore. Besides, do you see how weak he is? He’s going to need it.” She said, feeling the need to justify herself. Pike smiled and watched with her looking at the Cleric of Mollymauk’s.

After a moment, Pike stretched and touched Veth’s shoulder.

“When you’re done, Beau is bringing out some of the Twilight Wine.” She said.

“Sounds great!”

“That’s lovely.” Caduceus said, watching Purple Gladiolus with tiny traces of golden markings on it’s petals sprout from the light that had been delivered by one of Vax’ildan’s ravens. It had chosen to grow beside it’s two former companions, A bright pink Protea, with it’s sharp petals that formed a bowl atop it’s stem. The Protea bloomed brightly beside a tall sunflower, missing one leaf, which Caduceus was always glad to see it faithfully faced the sun that crossed the horizon.

“It took her 400 years, but she’s here now.” He said, seeming to placate the flowers. They didn’t reply, but he noticed how the Gladioulus was drawn to the other two.

“Feel free to catch up you three.” He said, standing up and walking out of The Garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this far, I truly love seeing your comments, kudos and overall reception to this fic. <3


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